


After Effects

by buckyismymainman



Series: After Effects Series [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Also I wanted Shuri in the story, And yes Pietro is still alive because I loved Pietro and he didn't deserve to die, Cussing, F/M, Oh Bucky what am I going to do with you man, Rating could change but idk, She looks up to him too much, Slow Burn, This was going to be an enemies to lovers kinda troupe but I can't make that work really, Violence, Wow these tags are long, she gets frustrated with him a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-12 12:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 42,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15339882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyismymainman/pseuds/buckyismymainman
Summary: Bucky Barnes has been living in Wakanda for some time now, but after the events of Infinity War he's back with the Avengers.  He misses Wakanda, he misses the people, his misses Shuri's lab and her constant Vine references that he doesn't understand, but laughs at anyway.  Back at the Avengers's compound he meets a new recruit named Mina, and is instantly attracted to her, but Bucky isn't the same person he was before becoming the Winter Soldier, and decides it's best to just stay away from Mina.Mina has admired James "Bucky" Barnes for ages now.  She remembered visiting the site at the Smithsonian and reading about him and Captain America.  She never thought she'd get a chance to meet him, let alone work with him.  Now she and Bucky have been paired up to go on a mission to Wakanda to help protect the vibranium from a group of insurgents hellbent on getting some for themselves.  But it turns out Bucky isn't the person she thought he was.





	1. Chapter 1

Tony Stark was throwing a party.  But of course he was throwing a party, he was Tony Stark.  Bucky could understand why though. They had all been through a lot since defeating Thanos, and Tony wanted to celebrate that they had all come away from it.  Although there was something in his eyes that said he hadn’t told the whole story. Bucky wasn’t going to push him on it though, the two of them still had a rocky relationship.

Bucky could also understand why.  He had killed Tony’s parents after all.  He felt guilty, but at the time he hadn’t been in control, and he knew that Tony was trying to understand that for Steve’s sake.

Steve and Bucky were currently walking through the building that housed the Avengers, it acted as their headquarters.  Bucky liked staying here, it was nice, but truth be told he missed Wakanda. He had grown fond of the country in his time there while Shuri was trying to reverse what Hydra had done to him.  And he liked T’Challa and his family.

The party was in full swing when Steve and Bucky entered the large room that acted as a lounge when the others weren’t out on missions.  There were so many people there, and Bucky ran his fingers through his long hair, he was going to cut it in an effort to start over.

He looked around the room, he saw several of the Avengers that he knew like Vision, Wanda, and Bruce.  Then his eyes fell on a girl with long blue-black hair, and the brightest turquoise eyes he had ever seen.  She was sitting on the bar, her feet swinging back and forth. She had her eyes trained on Pietro Maximoff, laughing at something he was saying.

Steve noticed his friend staring at Mina Gaspari.  “That’s Mina Gaspari, we just recruited her a couple of months ago.  She’s been training with Wanda mostly since their powers are similar.”

Bucky looked at Steve, “Italian?”

“Her parents immigrated from Italy, but she was born in New York.  They owned a little restaurant in New York City, but after the attack with the Chitauri, they moved away from the city.  She actually protected a lot of people during that attack with her abilities, we just never knew. She laid low, that was until Thanos decided to come and try to wipe out half the population.  She’s really sweet.”

Bucky looked over at his friend and saw the gleam in his eye, “No.”

Steve laughed, “I didn’t even say anything!”

“I know that look, it’s the look you get when you have a plan and you know I’m not going to like it.  So the answer is no.”

“I was just going to say you should go talk to her, she’s cute and you’ve been single since 1945,” Steve grinned at him.  “I think it’s time you hopped back in the saddle.”

Bucky rolled my eyes, “May I remind you that I am technically over a hundred years old right now?”

“But you don’t look a day over thirty,” Steve joked.  “Come on loosen up, it doesn’t matter, we’re biologically different.  If she has a problem with the age difference she can tell you, but at least talk to her.”

 

On the other side of the room Mina was laughing at Pietro.  She had become good friends with him since she had been working with Wanda on controlling her powers.  They were different from Wanda’s, but she was thankful for the help.

Mina looked around the room and noticed that Bucky and Steve had entered the room.  Her heart leaped in her chest, she had never met Bucky before, but she had admired him for years.  Steve noticed her looking and waved at her, she smiled and waved back. Steve had been the one that had recruited her.

Pietro followed her gaze and said, “Oooh, look who it is.  Little Mina’s crush.”

She went to kick Pietro, but he zipped out of the way.  “Shut up,” she could feel her cheeks heating. “I do not have a crush on Sergeant Barnes.”

Wanda walked over, her hand in Vision’s.  “Pietro, stop teasing Mina.” Wanda turned to Mina and smiled, “How are you liking your first Tony Stark party?”

“It’s… like I thought it would be,” she said honestly.  “Lavish, drinks, games, I don’t know what else to expect from this.”

“Tony does know how to throw a good party,” Vision said.  “I should know I used to order things for him before I became a sentient being.”

Mina had almost forgotten that Vision used to be Jarvis.  “Well at least you actually get to attend these now.”

“Hey everyone,” Steve smiled as he and Bucky joined them.  “I thought I’d bring Bucky over for proper introductions.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sergeant Barnes,” Mina said sticking her hand out to shake his.

Bucky hesitated for a moment but shook her hand.  “Call me Bucky, I’m not in the military anymore.”

Steve watched the two of them interact with one another.  He could see the admiration in her eyes. She looked up to him.  He went to say something when Peter Parker hopped up onto the counter with her.  “‘Sup Witchy Woman?”

She ruffled his hair, “‘Sup Spidey-Boy?”

He shoved her off of him, “I am Spider-Man!”

“Nah kid, you’re Spidey-Boy.”  She grinned at him, and Bucky watched their interaction.  It was like watching two siblings bicker. He could tell Peter liked it.

“Children could we not roughhouse on the bar please?”  Tony Stark called out to them.

“Sorry Mr. Stark,” they parroted and then began to laugh while jinxing each other.

Mina turned back to Steve, “Are we training tomorrow?”

“If you want,” he responded.  “We’ll see how things go.”

She nodded and hopped off the bar, looking at where Pietro was fooling with the music.  “Pietro! Don’t you dare change that music!” Her and Peter rushed over trying to stop Pietro from changing the music from classic rock to some type of EDM music that most people enjoyed these days.

Steve turned back to Bucky, “Come on Buck, Tony wanted to talk with us in private.”  Bucky didn’t like the sound of that.

 

When Mina woke the next morning she put on a pair of leggings, a tank top, and a pair of black Puma’s and went to find Steve.  She tied her long hair back and nearly ran into Thor in the hall. She smiled up at the taller man, “Hey Thor.”

“Hello Mina, off to training with Wanda?”

“Steve,” she clarified.  “Have you seen him?”

“I believe he is in the gym.”

“Thanks,” she brushed past him as he wished her luck.  When she entered the gym she saw Steve working with some weights.  “Hey Steve,” she said to get his attention.

Steve put the weights down and turned toward, “Morning Mina, did you sleep all right?”

“Yeah, the party really took it out of me, are you ready to begin training?”

“Actually, Tony wanted to see you in his office.  He has a request.”

Mina began bouncing, “Am I getting a mission?”

Steve chuckled, he knew that Mina was chomping at the bit to get away from the compound.  “Yeah, I think he does have something in mind for you,” he couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

“Finally!”  She clapped happily.  “What is it? Do you know?”

Steve chuckled, “I do, I talked with him about it last night, but you should go talk to him.”

Mina nodded and dashed off down the hall toward the offices.  Pepper greeted her when she reached the door to Tony’s office, “Is Tony in there?  Steve told me that he wanted to speak with me.”

“He is,” Pepper said with a smile.  “You can head on in.”

Mina pushed the door open and said, “Tony, Steve told me you wanted to speak with me?”

Tony turned around and smiled at Mina, “I did, come on in and take a seat.”  Tony’s office had a wall of windows that looked out over the lawns of the Avengers’ compound.  A huge A standing tall in the distance. “I wanted to let you know that I have a mission for you.”  Mina smiled brightly. “You will be accompanying Bucky to Wakanda to help them protect their vibranium.  They’ve gotten intel that a group of insurgents are going to try and attack, and while Wakanda certainly can handle this themselves, T’Challa requested some extra help.”

Mina sat there speechless, she was going to go to Wakanda and she was going to be working with her hero?  She had to be dreaming. “And you thought I’d be the best person to go on this mission with Bucky?”

Tony nodded, “Your abilities will be an asset with helping them.  Wanda, Pietro, and Steve have all sang your praises, they think you’re ready.  The question is do you think you’re ready?”

She nodded her head, “I do, I’ve been waiting for this day for months now.  I’m ready to help in any way I can.”

“Good, you’ll leave tonight with Bucky on one of the Quinjets,” Tony informed her.  “You leave at eight, so I’d go pack what you’ll need, and I’ll have Steve bring you all the necessary information on Wakanda and what’s going on over there.”

Mina nodded her head and left Tony’s office to go pack.  On the way back to her room she ran into Peter, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“Tony gave me an assignment.  I’m going to Wakanda tonight with Bucky,” she said giddily.

“Lucky!  I want to go to Wakanda.  T’Challa is cool, he thinks me and his sister would get along.”

“I met him briefly when he was here when I first arrived,” she said as she pushed her door open.  She faced the landing pad where one of the Quinjets was being prepared for her and Bucky’s journey.  “Steve told me that it’s really cool there, and that Shuri’s lab is no joke. Maybe you can convince Tony to let you come visit me while I’m there,” she joked.

“I’m pretty sure my Aunt May would never let me leave the country again, not after Thanos.”  Mina had met Aunt May when she had come to visit Peter on several occasions. She worried about her nephew a lot, especially since she knew what kind of lifestyle he led.

“I’m sure she’d be okay with you coming to Wakanda, especially if she thinks it’s safe,” Mina told him as she began to throw things in one of her bags.  She didn’t want to take too much, but she wasn’t sure what she would need while she was there.

There was a knock on the open door and Steve poked his head in, “Hey Peter, I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“I’m here for a few more days before I head back to Aunt May’s place,” he said.  “Keep in contact with me, and take photos. I want to see Shuri’s lab!” He waved goodbye and then disappeared out the door.

Steve took a seat on Mina’s bag as she packed.  “Are you excited?”

“Yes,” she said with the biggest smile.  “And a little bit nervous, but not because I’ll be facing down bad guys,” she admitted.  “I’m a little nervous working with Bucky.”

Steve chuckled, “You look up to him don’t you?”

She nodded and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ears.  “I have since I was a teenager, before I knew about my powers or any of this.  He just seemed so brave, and I never thought I’d get to meet him, let alone work with him.”

“Bucky’s cool, don’t worry.  You’ll both do fine,” Steve told her with a comforting smile.  He had a way of easing her. “And if you need anything Wanda and I are only a phone call away.”

“I know,” she said.

 

Steve went to Bucky’s room and sat down on the bed.  “She looks up to you,” he said.

Bucky arched an eyebrow, “Who?”  Although he already had an inkling of who Steve was talking about.  Mina, the girl he was going to Wakanda with. The girl who he couldn’t get out of his head.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about.  I was just talking with her, and she’s looking forward to this.”

“I don’t know why you seem so excited about this, it’s a simple mission.  We’ll be in and out before we know it, and then we’ll probably only see each other in passing.”

Steve gave his friend a look, “Really?  That’s how we’re going to play this? I saw how you were looking at her last night, and I’m telling you to go for it.”

“And we’re not going to have this discussion,” Bucky furrowed his brow.  “She’s too young.”

“She’s twenty-four to your thirty, that’s not a large age gap.”

“Are you forgetting the little fact that I was born in 1917?”

“Are you forgetting that we’re not like other people?”  Steve shot back.

Bucky sighed, “There is no talking you out of pestering me about this is there?”

“Nope,” Steve grinned.

Bucky slung his bags over his shoulder, his metal arm gleaming in the light.  “Please drop this Steve, this is purely business.”

Steve shrugged his shoulders, “Whatever you say man.”

Bucky walked out to the landing pad and saw Pietro standing there talking with Mina.  She was smiling at him, her bags at her feet. There were only two, she was a light packer like he was.  Pietro hugged her and then was gone in an instant.

She looked up to see Bucky standing there and she broke out into a smile, “Hello Bucky!”

He walked over, “Hello.”  He replied a bit gruffly.

She stared after him as he got on the Quinjet.  Frowning she picked up her bags and followed after him, the door closing a few seconds after she had climbed on board.  She set her bags down next to his and took a seat in the co-pilot seat. “I have to warn you I’m not the best co-pilot.”  She looked over at him and tried to manage a smile, “Steve tried to teach me along with Tony, but I’m hopeless with these things.”

Bucky started to press some buttons and lifted the jet into the air, “Don’t worry, these things can pilot themselves.  Just wait until we’re up in the air before unstrapping and walking around. We’ll be in Wakanda in a few hours.”

The two of them fell silent and Mina was a little disappointed.  She knew that he wouldn’t be like he was in the videos she’d seen of him, but she didn’t think he’d be so distant and cold towards her.  She thought that since they’d be working together that they’d at least talk and get to know one another better.

“So,” she dragged out the ‘Os’ for a moment.  “What was it like growing up in the twenties and thirties?”  He looked over at her and arched an eyebrow. Her cheeks heated a little bit, “I’m just trying to learn a little bit about you.  I figured since we were teaming up for the duration of this mission that we could at least be a little familiar with each other.”

He sighed, “There’s not much to say.  It was less technologically advanced than today.”

She frowned when that’s all he offered.  “Well what was the military like?” Silence.  “All right, fine.” She unbuckled and went towards the back of the Quinjet muttering under her breath.  So far this was not going how she had thought it would.

Bucky turned his head and watched as she angrily dug through her bag and pulled out a book.  When she went to turn around Bucky snapped back to attention watching the sky in front of them.

She plopped down in her seat and began to read.  Soon he heard her breathing soften and he looked over to see that she had fallen asleep with the book on her chest.  She looked peaceful, her hair spread out around her, some of it falling in her face.

Bucky let out a little sigh, he was screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

They had been flying for several hours now, and Mina was still asleep.  Sometimes she would snore and it would make Bucky smile, but he would shake his head and focus on something else.  He didn’t need to be thinking of her like that.

When Wakanda came into view Bucky gently nudged her and said, “We’re here.”

Mina sat up and stretched her arms above her head, “How long was I asleep?”  Her voice was hoarse from sleep and she gave him a sleepy look.

Bucky tried not staring at her, “A couple of hours.”

So they were back to short answers.  She sighed and stood to go put her book back in her bag.  She had brought a couple with her, it had taken all her self-control to not pack another bag of just books.  She rejoined Bucky and stared out the window gapping at the Wakandan countryside. “It’s beautiful.” It was night, but with the way the moon was glowing it gave the country a magical feel.

Bucky stayed silent and guided the Quinjet to the city where they would be staying.  T’Challa had graciously opened up some guest rooms for them in his home. As Bucky went to land the jet he saw Shuri and T’Challa standing on the platform with several of the Dora Milaje.  He noticed Mina fidgeting in her seat as she stared at T’Challa and his sister.

He stood, “Relax, he’s not formal.”  With that he moved to the back of the Quinjet and grabbed his bags.

They exited together and T’Challa smiled at Bucky, “Welcome back Mr. Barnes.”

Bucky smiled at T’Challa, and Mina wondered if it was only reserved for people he was close too.  “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Bucky?” They embraced, patting each other on the back.

T’Challa pulled away first, his hands still on Bucky’s arms.  “I do it to annoy you,” T’Challa said with a grin.

Shuri was next and he greeted her like he would a sister.  “How is the arm treating you Bucky?”

Bucky flexed his metal fingers, “I can’t complain.  It’s a lot better than the last one I had.”

“I’ve made some adjustments and I can work on giving you a better one when you have some free time,” she began saying.

Bucky laughed, and Mina felt warmth spread through her at the sound.  Then she chastised herself mentally. She didn’t want to blush while she was in front of him and the King of Wakanda.  Bucky turned to her then, his smile slipping from his face as he composed his features. “This is Mina Gaspari. She’ll be my help on the mission.”

Mina waved a bit awkwardly, “Hello.”

“Miss Gasperi,” T’Challa walked over to her with a wide smile.  “Welcome to Wakanda.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

Her cheeks were definitely heating up now.  Shuri rolled her eyes and made a noise, “Stop trying to flatter her, Brother.”  Shuri walked over to them then. “Come on I’ll show you to your room.” She linked her arm through Mina’s and led her inside while T’Challa and Bucky followed behind them.  “So what are your abilities?”

“Oh,” Mina looked down at her hands and summoned the turquoise flames that were her powers.  The color matched her eyes, Bucky noticed. “My powers are similar to Wanda’s, but they’re a bit different, I can do things that she can’t and vice versa.”

Shuri’s eyes lit up, “I want you to join me in my lab!  I have so many ideas that you can help me with. I want to see if I can create armor that can resist magic like yours, something that can take a hit, but won’t harm the wearer.”

Mina nodded, “Just say the word and I’m all yours.”

Shuri started chattering away excitedly about all the things she could create now that she actually had someone with gifts around.  T’Challa watched his sister with the newcomer. He leaned a bit closer to Bucky, “So what do you think of the new girl?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes at T’Challa, “Did Steve call you?”

T’Challa smiled, “He may have mentioned you and a pretty girl would be showing up on my doorstep in a few hours.  But I think Steve highly downplayed how pretty Miss Gaspari actually was.”

Bucky wanted to strangle his friend, “I already told Steve no.”

“And Steve knows that, but he also knows you.  You’re not dead Bucky, and she clearly likes you.”  T’Challa recalled how she looked when she heard Bucky laugh, she was blushing and staring at him like T’Challa stared at Nakia.

“Please, I just want to do what we came here to do.  I want to keep Wakanda safe, and then head home.”

“So eager to leave Wakanda when you just got here?”  T’Challa arched an eyebrow, one side of his lips tipped upward.

 _Eager to get as far away from Mina Gaspari as I possibly can,_ Bucky thought.  “No, I just want… I don’t know what I want to be honest.  I was excited to be coming here, but then Tony and Steve suggested Mina come with me, and I knew why Steve was saying it.  And I’m not saying Mina isn’t capable, everyone sings her praises--”

T’Challa placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder and they both paused.  “You’re rambling Bucky, do try not to fight whatever it is you’re feeling.  It’s not healthy.”

Bucky glanced at Mina’s and Shuri’s retreating figures.  “Whatever this is will pass,” he responded quietly and walked the rest of the way to his room alone.

 

Mina was woken up by the automatic curtains rising letting the sun stream through the windows.  Shuri had stayed with her for a little while the night before showing her how things worked and where to go if she needed anything.  She even gave her a holographic map of the palace so Mina could find her way around if she got up at night.

Mina slid out of bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she didn't want to put on her suit unless she absolutely needed too.  She tugged on her sneakers and headed out into the hallway, almost smacking into Bucky.

“Good morning, Bucky,” she gave him a smile which he didn’t return.  She resisted the urge to groan and tear out her hair. This was definitely not how she saw this going.

“How did you sleep?”  He asked.

“Fine, and you?”  Two could play at this game.

“Fine,” they stood there in awkward silence.  “Uh, breakfast should be ready.”

She nodded and pulled the map out of one of her back pockets.  While she was distracted Bucky admired how her jeans hugged her curves, but then he shook his head.  He shouldn't be staring at her like that.  “So it looks like I need to go that way,” she pointed to her right and began walking in that direction, watching as two little dots signifying her and Bucky popped up on the map.  She stopped when she realized Bucky wasn’t coming. “Are you getting breakfast?” She turned back to him.

He shook his head, “I was up earlier, I’ve already eaten.  T’Challa said all is quiet, so you can explore today if you like, I’ll contact you if something happens.”  With that he turned and walked away.

Mina let out a little sigh and continued her journey through the halls until she reached the kitchen.  She discovered T’Challa standing there with a bowl of cereal and a tablet reading the world news. He looked up when he heard her enter and gave her a smile, “Good morning Miss Gaspari, how did you sleep?”

“Please call me Mina, and I slept well.  Thank you for asking.” She looked around the state of the art kitchen with top of the line appliances.  “My father would pass out if he could see this kitchen.”

T’Challa chuckled, “Steve told me that your father was a chef and had his own restaurant.  Italian, correct?”  

She nodded, her eyes drifting back to the man in front of her, “Yes.  It was a little pizzeria in New York City, but after the attack we moved to the northern part of New York and set up shop there.  I used to help my father cook.”

“Your parents were from Italy yes?  And you were born stateside?”

“Yes, they dreamed of living in New York and owning their own authentic Italian restaurant.  I was born a few years after they arrived.”

“Do you miss them?”

She shrugged, “They visit me a lot, and I still go home on occasion.  I never hid what I could do from them.” She gestured to the cabinets.  “What is there to eat?”

T’Challa showed her around the kitchen and told her where everything was.  “If you ever have time there are some restaurants in the city, you should try them.  I know Bucky enjoys several of them when he’s able to go.”

“Are you close with Bucky?”  Her curiosity got the better of her.

“In a way yes, Bucky is Bucky.  He’s very kind, and he cares. I know he loves Wakanda and the people love him in return.  When Thanos attacked Bucky was on the frontlines ready to protect this place, and that is something I appreciated greatly.”  

Mina slumped in her seat, “He doesn’t seem to like me.”

“Maybe he is just uncomfortable around you,” T’Challa suggested.  “You two barely know one another.”

He did have a point, and maybe she had come off a little strong at the party and then again on the Quinjet.  “Thank you for showing me around your kitchen T’Challa.”

“Of course Mina, and one night maybe you could teach me some of your father’s recipes and make us all a nice Italian dinner.”

“I would like that,” she said before he exited the room.  

Once she had finished her breakfast she explored the palace a little until she found the library.  She pushed open the doors and paused when she saw the shelves upon shelves of books. The smell of parchment and ink overpowering her senses.  She stepped inside and pulled the doors shut behind her.

She walked through the shelves and noticed that several books were written in other languages.  She found some in Italian and tugged them off the shelves before heading to the couch to curl up and read.

She hadn’t been there long when she heard what sounded like books landing on the floor.  She set her aside and moved through the shelves to find Bucky on the floor grumbling, trying to pick them up.  He hadn’t heard her yet.

Grinning she used her abilities to lift the books off the floor.  Bucky whirled around and she began laughing at his bewildered look.  “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t think anyone else was in here with me.”  She made the books form a stack and waited for Bucky to take them. “Is there another way in here?”

He nodded, “There are two entrances.”

She stood there trying to think of something to say.  “What are you reading?”

Bucky looked down at his stack, “Oh I wasn’t reading these, Shuri asked me to get some things for her from the library.”

Mina toed the floor with her foot.  “Oh, well I’ll let you get back to it.”  She turned and went to walk away when she heard him sigh.

“Are you hungry?”

She turned back around, “How late is it?”  She had no idea how long she had been in here for, it felt like she had just arrived.

She thought she saw a tiny smile from him, but his usual neutral look was back.  “It’s a little past four in the afternoon.”

Her eyes widened, she had been here that long?  Her stomach growled and she chuckled, “I guess I am a little hungry now that I think of it.”

“I know a spot we can go to eat, T’Challa’s busy and Shuri’s too busy trying to prepare for your eventual visit that she’ll probably just eat at her lab.”  He sat the books down on one of the tables that were scattered throughout the room. “I’ll take you somewhere so you can get dinner.”

She was shocked to hear him offering it, but she wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.  “All right, let me just put my books away.” She rushed back to her seat and scooped her books up and placed them back on the shelf hoping that her little interaction with Bucky hadn’t been a one-time occurrence.

He was still waiting on her when she got back to where she had left him, “Ready?”  He asked. She said yes and followed him out of the palace and into the streets of Wakanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is unbeta'd and I really hope y'all enjoy it. I'm excited about writing this and I hope people will like it. Enjoy and I'll see you in future updates! :D


	3. Chapter 3

The streets were crowded with people as Bucky and Mina made their way out of the palace and into the city.  All of them were wearing an array of brightly colored clothes, some of the women were wearing headscarves while others were not.  Bucky weaved his way through the people, saying hello to some and nodding to others.

Mina stuck close to him, tempted to reach out and take his hand so they wouldn’t get separated, but she didn’t want to freak him out.  “Where are we going?” She asked as they reached a spot where they could walk side by side.

He looked down at her, “There’s an outdoor food market.  They have all kinds of food there, you can pick what you want.”

They came up on a place with stands and people surrounding the stands holding plates and cups filled with different liquids.  The smells were making Mina’s mouth water. She had heard of outdoor food courts like this, but she had never actually been to one before.

She walked through the little walkway eying the foods with interest.  Bucky walked behind her, watching the way she slowed when she saw something that she thought she might like before continuing on.  He knew she wanted to see everything they had to offer before she picked just one thing. He had done the same thing the first time he came here.

They were coming up on the end of the food carts and an older man called out to Bucky.  He walked over and shook hands with the man, speaking in Wakanda’s native tongue. Mina had no idea he knew the language, but she guessed after being here for a while he picked up on it.  The only man handed over two plates and Bucky turned back to her. “For you,” he said passing one of the plates to her.

She took it, “What were the two of you talking about?”

Bucky started to eat his food while heading for a bench to sit down on.  “He was just asking how I’d been.”

Mina began to eat and closed her eyes as an explosion of flavors hit her taste buds.  Bucky watched as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the traditional Wakandan meal he had gotten for them.  “This is delicious,” she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him, flashing a smile before taking another bite.  They continued to eat in silence. “How come you’re so open with everyone else, but not me?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.  “Sorry,” she muttered.

Bucky sighed, “It’s just hard to open up, and plus Steve told me how much you looked up to me.  I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Mina blinked, her cheeks heating.  “Steve told you that? No one wonder you act weird around me.”  She laughed, “Bucky, you are so frustrating.” 

“Excuse me?”  He was a little taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor.

She shook her head, sitting her plate off to the side so she could turn and face him.  “Yes, I look up to you, and yes you run the risk of disappointing me, but that doesn’t mean you should act cold to me.  I looked up to Steve and he didn’t disappoint me. And I don’t have any delusions of grandeur. I just want you to be yourself around me.”

Bucky sat there just looking at her for a moment, “I hated growing up in the twenties and thirties, compared to now that is.  Looking back on then versus now it was awful. Technology was just beginning to become a thing and cars were nothing like they are today.  Black and white TV also sucked, but we had nothing to compare it to. Once I joined the military I made lifelong friendships, and I was sure as hell shocked when Steve rescued me looking like he does now.  I just remembered him from our childhood and then in comes this six-foot man with a six pack and he says he’s Steve. I thought I was hallucinating for a moment.”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing you had such a good friend like Steve who would come and rescue you when you got into trouble.”

“Yeah, it is.”  He watched her as she stared out over the sky.

“I never had that,” she said.  “I was always teased growing up, I was the nerd in school.  Always had a book in hand. It wasn’t until I joined the Avengers that I had a sense of friendship.  First with Steve, but then again it’s Steve,” she laughed and Bucky smiled. “Then with Wanda and Pietro.  Then in comes Peter who is like a little brother to me. And for the first time in my life I felt like I had a group of friends who I could hang out with and just let my hair down with.”  She looked at Bucky and said, “You had the exact opposite problem didn’t you?”

He couldn’t lie, he had been popular in school.  Especially with the ladies. “Yeah, I was a people person, and being an athlete helped me.”

“I tried sports, was never really good at them,” she said as she sipped from her cup of water.  

They lapsed into a comfortable silence.  Bucky was telling himself that he could be friends with her, that this was okay.  This was good. “We should head back,” she said after a moment. “No idea when we’ll be needed.”

Bucky stood and collected their trash and together they headed back to the palace.  Bucky walked Mina to her door and left her with a simple goodnight.

 

Shuri came to get Mina the next day, dragging Mina along to her lab.  Mina had agreed, but only for the fact the Bucky had left a note saying there was nothing to be done right now.  She had her communication devices in case something happened.

Bucky would be with T’Challa right now, the two of them trailing around the Wakandan countryside looking for signs of trouble.  The two of them had deemed it more important for Mina to join Shuri before she burst from excitement.

“I want to monitor how your powers work,” Shuri was saying.  They were standing outside the lab where several targets had been set up.  “I’ll record you doing this, and from there I can start developing new tech based off what you can do.”  She held up her arm ready to record. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Mina’s hands lit in those turquoise flames, she flexed her fingers letting the flames dance a little before she flung out her hand the flames launching off her fingers and toward one of the closer targets.  It instantly caught on fire, but not the normal kind. Shuri was laughing excitedly as she witnessed the powers being wielded.

The next attack came in the form of a fireball.  Mina twisted her hands together until the flames were off her fingers and in a circle between her hands.  She threw the fireball at one of the farther targets getting the same outcome as the first one.

Shuri put her arm down and rushed over, “Do your powers always show as this strange turquoise flame?  Or can you be more discreet?”

“This is where Wanda and I are different.  With hers, you always see the red, but with me,” the flames disappeared, but she could still feel their warmth.  “I can make them disappear. She flung out one hand and knocked a target over.

“That is awesome!”  Shuri began to chatter excitedly as they made their way down to her lab.  “I can do so many things with this. Think of all the tech we could make.”  She uploaded the video she had taken on a bigger monitor and watched each attack on a loop.  It was a little weird for Mina to see herself using her abilities like this.

Shuri grabbed some paper and began to scribble some notes down.  Mina wandered around looking at all the prototypes that Shuri had started.  She noticed a new suit for T’Challa. She ran her hand over the fabric amazed that this suit was made out of vibranium.

After a few hours of talking with Shuri about her powers and doing a few more demonstrations Mina heard voices from above.  Shuri looked toward the stairs and said, “Okoye! Come here, you have to see this.”

The General of the Dora Milaje descended the stairs and stared at the newcomer.  “Hello,” Mina said with a smile. “We haven’t had a chance to meet properly. I’m Mina Gaspari, I came here with Bucky.”

Okoye smiled at the girl, “Hello, I’m Okoye.”  Okoye looked at Shuri, “Your brother wants you back at the palace for dinner tonight.”

“Okay, okay, but you have to see this.”  Shuri pulled up the footage of Mina from earlier and Okoye stared at it with wide eyes.  “Isn’t this amazing. I’m working on new tech to help combat attacks like this.”

Okoye looked toward Mina, a gleam in her eyes, “Would you like to train with the Dora Milaje?”

“Hey!”  Shuri protested.  “I saw her first, she’s mine.”

Mina laughed and held up her hands, “There is enough of me to go around.  I’d love to train with the Dora Milaje, it would be an honor actually.”

Okoye looked toward Shuri, “This would be a good way to test your tech.”  Then she motioned for them to follow her, “Come along, we need to get back.”

 

T’Challa met with Mina a few days later to talk about what he and Bucky had found on their little expedition while she had been with Shuri.  “Okoye tells me you’ll be working with the Dora Milaje some, is that true?”

Mina nodded her head, “It is.  She asked and I agreed. I think Shuri wants to test her tech she’s developing on them too.”

“Don’t let them talk you into doing anything you’re not comfortable doing,” he said with a chuckle.  “You’re here to help us with our problem, and you don’t have to do any more than that if you don’t want to.”

“I really don’t mind,” Mina insisted.  “It’ll give me something to do when we’re not chasing down the bad guys.”

“Does Bucky know about the offer yet?”

“I haven’t had a chance yet,” she told him.  “We’ve both been so busy that we’ve barely been able to say hi to one another when we see one another.”

“Talk to him tonight, I’ll make sure the two of you won’t be disturbed unless it is a matter of life or death,” T’Challa told her.  “Also, tomorrow you and Bucky will be heading out with Okoye and a couple of the Dora Milaje to do border patrol. I may be paranoid, but I have this feeling that something is off.”

“Then why don’t we go now?  What if you’re not just being paranoid?”

T’Challa shook his head, “It’s fine, I already have people checking the border, I just want a second set of eyes to make sure we’re not missing anything important.”

She conceded, “All right, but don’t hesitate to send me out there, I’m ready.  I’ll take care of these insurgents.”

There was a chuckling behind her and someone said, “Now that I would like to see.”

She whirled to see Bucky leaning on the doorframe his eyes trained on her.  She had a funny feeling in her stomach as she saw the grin on his face. T’Challa chuckled as well, “So would I.”

Mina huffed, “Why do I feel like the two of you are teasing me?”

“We’re not doll,” Bucky said.  Mina couldn’t believe he had just called her doll, but she liked the warm fuzzy feeling inside.  “We’re just really excited to see you in action.”

“Yes my Little Panther,” T’Challa patted her on the head giving her a nickname.  “You’re so eager to fight, we just can’t wait to see you in action.”

Mina frowned at the two of them, “I like Shuri a lot better, she doesn’t pick on me.”

“No she’s just using you for your powers,” T’Challa chuckled.  “She needs to keep you on her good side.”

“How about this?  I just not talk to either of you for the duration of my time here?”  She crossed her arms over her chest and looked between the two men.

T’Challa and Bucky looked at one with matching grins, “Whatever you say Little Panther.”  T’Challa patted her on the shoulder and headed toward the exit. “The two of you will not be disturbed for the rest of the evening, tell him.”

Bucky looked at Mina in confusion, “Tell me what?”

“It’s nothing serious,” she clarified quickly.  “It’s just the Okoye asked me if I wanted to train with the Dora Milaje if I had any free time and I agreed.  I’ve been meaning to tell you, but we’ve both been so busy the past few days that I haven’t had the chance.”

She noticed some tension leave his shoulders, “All right, if you’re okay with this then I can’t complain.  It’s an honor to be invited to train with them.”

Mina took a seat in one of the chairs and curled up in a little ball, she tried to stifle a yawn but failed.  She hadn’t realized how sleepy she was when she was talking with T’Challa. Bucky watched her as she grew sleepier and sleepier.  “It is, I’m really excited. Shuri even said she was making me a new suit, so I’m excited to see that.” Her eyes were closing now.

“Doll?”  Bucky asked as her breathing changed.  But it was too late, she was already asleep.  Bucky walked over to her as quietly as he could and picked her up gently.  He carried her bridal style to her room. He tugged her shoes off, and covered her up so she wouldn’t get cold.

He stood there for a brief moment watching to make sure she didn’t stir, and when he was sure she wouldn’t wake up he left quietly.  Out in the hall he pressed himself against the wall and closed his eyes, he could still smell her floral perfume and that weird bookish scent.  He needed to call Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is the third chapter in three days, but I don't really have an update schedule. I'm just writing this and posting once I finish a chapter. I might slow down, but right now I'm in a good rhythm with this one and I enjoy writing it. If I can't post as much I'll try to stick to a schedule like once a week or once every other week.  
> Unbeta'd


	4. Chapter 4

Steve answered the phone fairly quickly when he saw that it was Bucky calling him.  “Is something wrong?” Steve worried that something had happened. That Bucky or Mina had been injured or something worse.

“We’re fine, no one’s injured.  We haven’t even dealt with the problem yet,” Bucky knew that Steve would assume the worst first.  “I just… I need help.”

Steve was suddenly at attention, “I can be on a Quinjet and there in a few hours….”

“No, not that kind of help.”  Bucky rubbed his eyes, “I need advice about what to do with Mina.”  It hit Steve that his friend was calling for relationship advice. “I tried to act cold toward her thinking that I could keep her at arm's length, but that didn’t work.  She’s driving me crazy!”

Steve chuckled, “So are you tired of fighting your feelings for Mina?  Or do you need me to come over there and knock some sense into you?”

Bucky wished he could shoot his friend a death glare right now.  “I told you nothing could happen, I just need some advice on how to make these feelings go away.”

“Listen Buck, you either accept your feelings or you just wait until they die on their own.  Those are your only options. I am not helping you out of this.”

“Some friend you are,” Bucky muttered.

“James Buchanan Barnes, you have been single for God only knows how long, give in.”

“I’m hanging up now,” Bucky said into the phone.

“You do that, but that’s not going to change the fact that I think this will be good for you.  T’Challa thinks so too.”

“Do you and T’Challa just gossip on the phone like teenage girls when no one is around?”  Bucky asked feeling slightly amused and annoyed that the two of them were conspiring behind his back.

“Sorry, but I can’t answer that.  It’s confidential.”

“Just by you saying that confirms the two of you gossip like two teenagers.  Look I have to get up early and go on border patrol with Mina and some of the Dora Milaje.  I will fill you in later on the mission.” Bucky hit the end button before Steve could say anything else.

He stood and began to pace back and forth in his room.  After about ten minutes he caught a reflection of himself in the mirror and paused.  He still had his long hair, the Winter Soldier hair. He dug through his drawers and found a pair of scissors.

He stepped into his bathroom and began to snip away at his hair.

 

Shuri was at Mina’s door bright and early the next day.  Mina had sat up feeling utterly confused. How had she gotten into bed?  The last thing she remembered was talking to Bucky and feeling very sleepy.

Shuri had come in all energy and excitement.  “I did it! I made you a new suit. I was up all night working on this so that it would be ready for today.”

“Shuri, how many coffees have you had today?”  Mina rubbed her eyes and slipped out of bed to take the suit from Shuri.

“Uh I believe four, but that was only so I could stay awake to finish this.”  Shuri looked at the black leather suit with turquoise designs on it. “I can totally change it and upgrade it, I had several designs in mind, but this is the one I like the best.”

Mina looked over the new suit, a smile breaking out over her face.  “Shuri, it’s perfect.” She looked at her new friend and grinned, “Wait here, I’ll go put it on.”  

Mina ducked into the bathroom and began putting the suit on.  It was separated into three parts. She had pants, a turquoise singlet shirt, and a jacket.  Everything fit like a glove and was super comfortable. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled, she liked this so much more than the one she had brought with her.

She stepped out of the bathroom and Shuri clapped, “It looks wonderful.”  She held up a pair of boots, “These will help absorb sound, so you can sneak more easily.”

Mina slipped them on, “Shuri, these are wonderful.  Thank you so much for doing this for me.”

Shuri waved her off, “It was no problem.  Now go out there and kick some ass today.”

Mina laughed and they stepped out of the hall, right as Bucky was coming out of his room.  Mina hadn’t realized they were neighbors. He froze when he saw what she was wearing and how it clung to her every curve.  God help him, he was screwed.

Mina noticed Bucky at the same time and froze as well.  He had cut his hair. It looked like it had been in one of the videos at the Smithsonian.  “Morning Bucky,” her voice was a little shaky. “How’d you sleep?” She noted the dark circles under his eyes and thought that he must not have slept very well.

Shuri excused herself so that she could go get something to eat and then crash in her room.  Bucky ran his fingers through his hair, finding the sensation weird now that it wasn’t as long as it had been.  “I slept… not well,” there was no point in lying he knew she could see the dark circles under his eyes. “And you?”

“Fine, but I have no idea how I got to my room.”  She glanced back at her door, then back at Bucky. She still couldn’t get over the loss of hair.  “Do you know?”

“You walked, but you were so tired that I figured you wouldn’t remember getting back here.  You were so tired that I suggested you get some rest before today,” there was no way he was telling her the truth.

“Cool, well at least I made it back without face planting the floor,” she grinned at him and he returned it with one of his own.  “Where are we meeting T’Challa and the others?” She asked as they started down the hall. There was tension hanging in the air around them.

Bucky was trying not to focus on how her hips swayed when she walked, or how her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and how he wished he could just take it down and run his-- No.  He shook his head and focused on what she had asked. “We are meeting him on the landing pad where we arrived at. We’ll take one of their jets to our destination and go from there.”

When they arrived Okoye with the Dora Milaje and T’Challa were waiting for them to arrive.  T’Challa looked Mina up and down and said, “Shuri?”

She nodded, “Gave it to me this morning.  You might want to check on her, she was hopped up on caffeine.”

“I will, I’m sure she’ll be fine, but sometimes she just needs someone to make sure she gets some rest.”  T’Challa turned to Bucky. “I’m sorry I can’t join you today, but duty calls.”

Bucky nodded, “I understand.  We’ll be fine.”

Mina walked over to Okoye and the Dora Milaje while Bucky and T’Challa went over a few places on the map.  “Good morning,” she said to all of them.

“Good morning Mina,” Okoye said.  “I’d like you to meet the Dora Milaje.  They are all excited to meet you and see your powers in action.”

She waved and said, “I’m excited to train with all of you.  It really is an honor. I’ve heard how Steve speaks about your fighting abilities.  It’s nice knowing there’s a badass group of women running around protecting people from the bad things of the world.”  They all chuckled.

Bucky joined them, T’Challa heading back inside to take care of the day’s business.  “Are we ready to go?”

Okoye nodded, “Yes, I believe so.”  They boarded the jet and Okoye took control with Bucky as a co-pilot.

“Sergeant Barnes looks handsome with the shorter hair,” one of the girls whispered.

Mina turned her attention to the conversation, “It was quite a shock seeing him with the shorter hair today when I walked out of my room.”

“He’s such a gentleman,” Ayo said.  “So polite, unlike others I’ve had the pleasure of coming in contact with.”

“He is great,” Mina said a bit dreamily.

The girls all shared a look with one another.  “Do we detect feelings?” Nareema asked with a mischievous grin.

“I admire Bucky,” Mina said quickly.  “That’s all.”

The others didn’t seem to believe her, and no matter how many times she tried to convince people that she didn’t like Bucky in that way they never seemed to believe her, although she was starting to have a hard time convincing herself that she didn’t have feelings for him either.

Okoye land the ship and they disembarked.  The jungle around them was alive with the sounds of the native animals, but there were no sounds of human life besides what they were making.  They split into groups. Okoye, Ayo, Bucky, and Mina were all in a group together. Mina was glad that she had been paired with Bucky. She didn’t know how she would do on her own with strangers.  New people tended to make her nervous.

They moved through the trees and Okoye turned to Mina, “Can you fly?”

Mina shook her head, “I’ve been working on it, but I’m unfortunately no good at it.”  She remembered one time when she had managed to get off the ground and then accidentally crashed into Steve who had been watching from the sidelines.

Bucky cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow, “Earth to Mina.”

She shook her head, “Sorry, I was just remembering the last time I tried flying.  Poor Steve was the cushion that broke my fall.”

They stuck to the ground, watching for signs of a camp, footprints, or anything out of the ordinary.  “How did you all realize that someone was trying to break in to steal the vibranium?”

Okoye dropped to a crouch to look at something as she responded, “When T’Challa opened the borders we had a flood of people coming in.  There was a group of men that seemed off. Then someone tried to break into Shuri’s lab. We think it was a test run, they were never caught.  Now there’s been tampering along the borders. They figure this far from the major cities and areas where we live that we won’t pay much attention to the shield, but we do.  They haven’t managed to slip in as far as we know, but that’s why we do these border checks just in case.”

Bucky went to say something else, but Mina threw out her hand and stopped him.  She brought a finger to her lips and pointed at something in the distance. When Bucky looked in that direction he could make out the remnants of a camp.  Mina motioned for them to wait there, and then she suddenly turned invisible right before Bucky’s eyes.

Ayo and Okoye were just as shocked as he was.  “Well she could have told us she could do that,” Okoye muttered.

A moment later Mina returned, “They’ve been gone for several hours now.  Camp is still fresh, but all the gear and things are gone.”

They made their way over to see if they could find anything important.  “How many do you think were here?” Bucky asked.

“Three,” Okoye said.  “They have different shoe sizes, and shoes on.  Enough for a sneak attack.”

Mina looked around trying to find which way they went.  “Which way is Shuri’s lab?”

Ayo stepped up next to her and pointed northward.  “There, in that direction.”

“We should call it in,” Mina said.  “Warn T’Challa and anyone at that lab that there could be an attack.  That’s a few hours walk by foot, we could ambush them there.”

Ayo went to call T’Challa and tell him, while Okoye told the others they had split off from earlier.  They made their way back to the jet and hurried to Shuri’s lab. T’Challa was there, “Do we have a plan?”  T’Challa asked.

“Yes,” Mina started.  “I’ll wait out here for them, take them by surprise, and signal for the rest of you waiting in the shadows.  Once we have them we can take them to where ever you guys question prisoners and find out where the others are hiding.”

“And why should we leave you out here by your lonesome?”  T’Challa didn’t like leaving one person out here by themselves when there were three men coming to steal the vibranium.

Mina grinned at him, “Because they’ll never see me coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my second update today for After Effects, I'm actually really happy because I've had a free day and I've been able to work on a lot of my stuff. I was debating if I wanted to post this chapter or not, but I decided to go ahead and do it since I had it finished and edited.


	5. Chapter 5

Mina watched for the men, her whole body blending into her surroundings.  She had taken a seat on the edge of the landing pad, her eyes scanning the surrounding area.  Bucky and the others were hidden in the entranceway of the lab waiting for her signal.

Bucky couldn’t see her which worried him, but he knew that she was just blending in.  T’Challa tapped him on the arm, “Breathe Bucky.” Ayo and the others shared a looked, so Bucky was smitten too….

“I am breathing,” Bucky said back, not turning away from where he had seen Mina disappear from.

Mina was still scanning the horizon, she couldn’t see them yet, but she heard the telltale signs of someone coming through the grass.  She stood, getting ready to strike the moment they were on the landing pad.

The three men popped over a hill and she saw they were of varying heights and ethnicities.  “Remember, Shinsky needs as much as we can get our hands on, and we need to do this stealthily, this is a test run.  He needs more if he wants to build this weapon of his,” the taller of the three said.

Mina narrowed her eyes, wondering who this Shinsky person was.  She crept up behind them and kicked out the first guy’s legs. He tumbled to the ground, the other two whirling around and pointing their guns at their friend.

“Jeffrey?  What the hell man?”  The shorter one said.

The one Mina had kicked over, Jeffrey, climbed to his feet looking around trying to find the source that kicked him over.  “Someone just kicked me!”

The taller one rolled his eyes, “Come on now, stop messing with us, now is not the time to be playing tricks.”

“It’s not a trick Stellan!”  Jeffrey whisper yelled. “Something really tripped me.”

Mina crept over to the man she didn’t know the name for and kicked his feet out from under him.  “What that hell?!” He cursed as he sprang back up.

Next she tossed the tallest one up against a wall with her powers, sending him crumbling to the ground.  She became visible and grinned at the two she tripped. “Now!” She shouted as her powers flared up and she took the weapons away from the men.

The Dora Milaje appeared, their spears pointed right at the men who had their arms held up in surrender.  Bucky was dragging the one Mina had tossed against a wall over to the other two. T’Challa smiled at Mina, “Now I see why they spoke so highly of you.  Good work Mina.”

Okoye and Ayo were putting cuffs on the men and loading them onto one of the jets to take them to the holding cells.  Bucky walked over to Mina, “Good job.”

She handed the men's weapons over the Ayo and shrugged, “All in a day’s work.”  She looked up at T’Challa, “Are you going to question them as soon as we get back or let them stew for a few days?”

“I think I’ll let them stew for a few days.  Make them paranoid. I think you should accompany me when I go to question them, I’m pretty sure they’re going to be terrified of you Little Panther.”

Mina smirked at T’Challa, “Say the word and I’m there.”

They boarded a different jet from the men and flew back to the palace.  “Mina, would you mind making us some dinner tonight? I am quite curious about your father’s Italian dishes,” T’Challa requested.

“Sure,” she said.  “I’d love too.”

 

Mina was in the kitchen working on preparing dinner.  A large tablet placed in front of her, Pietro was facetiming her.  “So what is Wakanda like? Do you like it?”

She was kneading the dough for the pizza crust.  “I love it here, it’s so beautiful and the people are so nice.  T’Challa is really cool, and I love Shuri to death. I swear her and Peter would get along great, I need to see if I can convince Tony to let him come visit me while I'm here.”

“He misses you,” Pietro said.  “He misses his sparring buddy.”

“You mean he misses me letting him kick my ass,” she looked up and grinned at Pietro.  “When you see him again tell him I’ll try to call soon.”

“I will,” he promised.  “And how is Sergeant Barnes?  Any fluttery feelings in your tummy?”

She flipped him off, “Shut up.”

Pietro grinned at her, “Don’t fight it, my friend.”

“Pietro!”  Mina heard Wanda shouting for her brother.  “Where did you run off too?”

“Ah duty calls,” he said.  “Try to call us all again soon, okay?”

“I promise,” she said before hitting the end button and going back to her task.

A few minutes later Bucky appeared in the doorway.  “Need any help?”

Mina looked up from the dough and nodded, “Sure, can you come here and roll out the dough.”  She handed a rolling pin over to Bucky and she walked over to where she had a sauce boiling. She found a spoon and tasted it, humming at how good it tasted.  She grabbed another spoon and scooped some onto it and headed back over to Bucky. “Taste this and tell me your honest opinion.”

He took the spoon from her and tried the sauce.  His eyes widened momentarily and he swallowed, “This is delicious doll.  Did you make this from scratch?”

Mina tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat when he called her “doll”.  It didn’t mean anything, she told herself. He probably called a lot of girls doll.  “I did,” she told him as she took the spoon back from him so he could finish rolling out the dough.  “My dad didn’t believe in store bought sauce. We would make sauce from scratch every day.”

She put the lid back on the sauce and checked on the water for the pasta.  “I was a hopeless cook,” he said. “I either burned food or it turned out bland.”

She began shredding cheese into a bowl.  “It’s important you know how to cook.” She looked over and told him to stop rolling out the dough.  She finished the cheese and scooped some of the sauce into a separate bowl and handed it to Bucky, “Spread this on the dough.”  She went back to the cheese. “When we get back to the compound I will teach you how to cook properly. We can’t have you going hungry.”

The two of them worked in silence for a bit, Mina giving him instructions every once in a while.  Once they had everything made and in the ovens they slumped against the counter. “Is cooking always this draining?”  He asked.

“Yes,” she told him.  “But the end result is so worth it.”  She grinned at him. “We have about forty-five minutes before it’s ready.  You can go if you want.”

“No, I’ll stay here with you,” he told her.  He took a seat on one of the bar stools and she joined him.  “You did really well today.”

“Thanks, to be honest, I was a little nervous, this being my first mission and all.  I just really want to make a good impression. Steve and Wanda sang my praises and I don’t want to let them down,” she picked at a place on the counter, her eyes not meeting Bucky’s.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he assured her.  “You’re a natural at this.”

“Thank you, Bucky,” she finally looked up at him and gave him a small shy smile.  

The two of them just stared at one another for the longest time, each of them working through things in their minds.  Mina realizing that Pietro was right and that she did have feelings for Bucky, feelings that were not just admiration.  She had a crush on Bucky.

Bucky, on the other hand, was thinking that he was in too deep and he had to back away a little from her.  If not he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings from her.

The timer on the oven went off and they both jumped.  Mina quickly rushed over and pulled the food out of the ovens, setting them on trays and taking them to the dining room where T’Challa, Shuri, Queen Ramonda, Okoye, and Nakia, who had just gotten back from a mission, were all waiting patiently for her to bring the food in.

They all talked about their lives throughout dinner and got to know one another better.  Shuri kept talking about her new inventions and how she was still working on the new armor for the Dora Milaje.  Okoye asked Mina when she wanted to come train with them, and she said soon.

Bucky stayed silent mostly.  He was just happy that nobody was really paying attention to him or asking him many questions.

Most of the people at the table knew him though, they were all too busy trying to learn more about Mina and what she was like.  Bucky silently got up and excused himself from the table thinking no one would notice if he was gone.

But two people did.  T’Challa and Mina.

Mina’s eyes followed Bucky out of the room as Shuri told a story about T’Challa.  Once he had disappeared out the door she looked over at T’Challa and their eyes met.  T’Challa shrugged his shoulders and turned back to Shuri to yell at her for embarrassing him in front of their guest.

Mina tried to engage in the conversation, but she was too focused on Bucky.

Okoye nudged Mina with her elbow.  “Go after him,” she whispered.

Mina looked at the woman to her left for a brief moment before standing up and excusing herself for the night.  She headed down the halls, her heart hammering in her chest. She shouldn’t bother him, he was probably asleep. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.

She paused in front of his door, her hand raised to knock, his name on the tip of her tongue.  But in the end she chickened out. She dropped her hand with a soft sigh and headed to her room.  She had no idea what she would even say to him. She would see him in the morning and make sure he was okay.

 

Bucky wasn’t even in his room when Mina went to knock.  He was holed away in the library going through the books trying to find something to read.  A world to escape into. He figured he would be undisturbed while he was in here.

The doors opened and T’Challa stepped into the room.  Bucky glared at the King of Wakanda, “What are you doing in here?  And how did you even--” He stopped that thought when he remembered the holographic maps and how they had everyone’s location on them.  “Nevermind,” he sighed.

“And why did you leave dinner?”  T’Challa took a seat across from Bucky.

Bucky shrugged, “I just wasn’t hungry, and you all were busy with Mina that I figured no one would notice if I was missing.”

“I noticed, and so did she.”

“I’ll apologize to her tomorrow and tell her I was tired,” Bucky informed him.

T’Challa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs, “May I ask you why you’re so adamant about not giving Mina a chance.”

“T’Challa,” Bucky started.

T’Challa held up a hand, “No excuses, and I promise that this won’t get back to Steve.  And I won’t pester you about her, I just want to know why you’re fighting this so much when you’re clearly miserable and would probably be happier if you just told her the truth.”

“I don’t deserve her,” Bucky said after a moment of silence.  “I’m not the James Barnes I was back when she first read about me, the man she looks up too.  I did horrible things when I was the Winter Soldier, things I’m still trying to come to terms with, still trying to right in a way.  Then there’s always the fear that I could revert back to what HYDRA made me be.”

“But Shuri fixed that,” T’Challa said quietly.

Bucky nodded, “She did, but there’s still that fear.  And another thing is the age difference.”

T’Challa laughed, “Oh Bucky, I don’t think anyone cares how old you are, you age differently.  Just let that go.”

“But those are the reasons I don’t want to pursue this.”

T’Challa stood, “I think you need let her decide what she wants, what she can handle.  But that’s just my opinion. Thank you for confiding in me Bucky, and I promise none of this will get back to Steve and that this will be the last time I ask you about her and your feelings.”

T’Challa left shortly after that leaving Bucky alone once again.


	6. Chapter 6

T’Challa found Mina having breakfast in the kitchen a few days later and informed her that he was going to question the three men.  Ayo had informed him the first man that Mina had kicked over was growing a little paranoid.  “I do believe it’s time we talk to our guests,” he said.  “I don’t want him to have a nervous breakdown.”

“Agreed,” she said.  “Let me go change and I’ll meet you at the landing pad.”  She hopped off her stool and headed for her room. She eyed Bucky’s door, she hadn’t seen him except in passing for the past few days.  She wondered if he was okay. 

About the time she passed the door to his room it opened revealing Bucky in jeans and a tight fitting, v-neck t-shirt.  The two of them paused, “Morning.”

So they were back to this, she frowned.  “Morning,” she replied a curtly as he had.  “I’m going with T’Challa to question the men.  Do you want to join us?”

“No, I’m joining Okoye on a mission, I won’t be back until later tonight,” he replied.

She was a little disappointed.  “Oh, all right. Well the next time I see you I’ll let you know what we found out.”

“Fine,” with that he left.

Mina didn’t try to think much of it, she just entered her room and dressed in semi-casual clothes.  She wasn’t going to put her suit on for this, she wanted to be as comfortable as possible, and tight leather was not going to work for this.  She put on a pair of dress pants, a button up shirt, and a vest.  She slipped on a pair of Converse and was out the door to meet T’Challa.  They boarded a jet and flew to where the cells were. “Who gets the honor of going in first?”  She asked T’Challa as they made their way down the semi-dark halls toward one of the interrogation rooms were the man, Jeffrey, had been placed.

“I think you should go in first Little Panther,” he said with a wicked grin.  “I do believe he’s more afraid of you and your magic.”

Mina shoved the door open, the man jumping in his seat when he saw who it was.  “Please don’t hurt me,” he stuttered.

She took a seat on the table in front of his chair.  “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said in a sickly sweet voice.  “I just want to talk with you.”

“I’m not going to tell you anything,” he said, but his shaky tone suggested otherwise.

Mina smiled at him, “You wanna take a bet on that or…?”  She trailed off. The man was shaking even worse now. “Listen, Jeffrey right?”  He nodded. “We just want to know why you want vibranium so badly. I heard you talking about your boss Shinsky the other day before I tripped you up.  I’m sorry about that, must have been really scary for you,” one of her other powers was calming people down and getting them to relax around her. She was trying to do that now, but the man was too wound up and it wasn’t working as well as it usually did.  “Why don’t you tell me about him?”

“I don’t know anything,” the man said.

She chuckled, “Come on now, we both know you know something.  Stop playing stupid, it doesn’t suit you.”

The man was beginning to relax now, she could see it in the way his shoulders were relaxing and how his body slumped in the seat.  “Shinsky is only one of my bosses, there’s three other guys that work with him. They’re all scientists, really bright guys. They’re trying to create some kind of weapon,” Jeffrey seemed to have gone into a dreamlike state, his eyes were glazed over and he had a goofy grin on his face.  “I don’t know what the weapons for, but it’s gonna be big.”

Mina’s eyes looked up at the two-way mirror, but then back at Jeffrey, “When are they planning a large-scale attack?”

“Don’t know, they wanted to see how we did and how security was when we stole some of the vibranium.”

She stood up and headed for the door.  Once she was in the hallway she looked at T’Challa, “Do you think they’d try something if they know we have their men?”

He rubbed his chin, “It’s a possibility, but I can’t say for certain.  I can double the security at the lab, Shuri won’t like it, but she can manage.”

“What are we going to do with the three of them?”  She asked as she looked back at Jeffrey.

“What were you doing in there?  Can you alter their memories? Make them forget they were ever held captive?  We could give them vibranium plant when the next best time would be for a raid and be prepared that way.”

Mina shook her head regretfully, “I can’t alter memories, I can only calm people down and make them a little more agreeable.  Actually reprogramming their memories is not in my wheelhouse.”

“Shame, that would have been perfect,” T’Challa said.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically.  “I don’t dabble in that kind of magic.”

“It’s quite all right.  We’ll question him some more later, I’d like to know where these men are hiding….  I don’t like that they’re trying to build a weapon out of vibranium.”

“I don’t either.  And trying to figure out what kind of weapon it would be, is it going to be a gun?  A bomb of some type? What have they cooked up in that lab or where ever they are?”

“I’ll have Okoye question him and the others later, if she can’t get it out of them then I’ll bring you back here to see what else you can get out of them.”  They headed for the surface. “I’m going to go check on Shuri and make sure she isn’t overworking at her lab. I’ll drop you off at the palace, feel free to spend the rest of the day however you wish.”

T’Challa took her back to the palace and she headed for her room to change into some work out clothes so she could take advantage of the gym the palace had to offer.  She plugged in her earphones and turned on her workout playlist blasting it as loud as she could stand it.

The gym was rather large with state of the art exercise machinery.  She got on the treadmill and started to run, the treadmills overlooked the Wakandan jungles and mountainscapes.  The sun was going down and she could see lights coming on from few of the homes scattered throughout the trees.

She never wanted to leave this place.  She could get used to living like this, and she could see why the Wakandans had been so protective about who they let see the real them.  They wanted to protect this tranquil place from outsiders that would want to change it and profit off the land.

She hopped off the treadmill and walked over to where there were several punching bags and she began to work through her frustrations with Bucky and just life in general.  It felt good to punch something, and she realized that she missed sparing with Steve. He had always gone easy on her, but the physical exertion had been great. She also missed sparring with Nat.  

Natasha had offered to teach Mina a few things a month after arriving at the compound.  Mina was a little afraid of Nat at first, the woman was intimidating, but she soon learned that Nat was a good person, just a little closed off from others.  Then in came Clint and he taught her how to aim and never miss her target.

Mina bent over taking in lungfuls of air and smiling as she remembered her first few weeks and her first month at the compound.  It had been such a whirlwind and she remembered talking to her parents about it.

 _“_ Mamma, Papà," _she had said with some trepidation.  “I was approached by the Avengers.” They both shared a look.  They had figured sooner or later that their daughter would be approached by someone with her abilities.  “And I think I’m going to join them.”_

Her parents were quiet for a few minutes, letting the news sink in.  Her dad had taken her hands and said, “Figlia, _no matter what you decide to do I will always support you.  If you wish to join the Avengers then I trust you. You have been granted incredible gifts, and if you want to use them to protect others then nothing would make me prouder.”_

There had been tears and she had hugged her parents tightly, but she knew that joining was something that she had to do.  She couldn’t keep working for her parents in their little restaurant, taking orders and living off tips.

Tony made sure her parents were well taken care of and that they wouldn’t catch any backlash if someone were to come after her.  That was one of the reasons that made her choice of joining easier. She wanted to make sure her parents were protected and taken care of if something happened to her.

The sun had completely gone down and the lights had come on throughout the palace.  Mina glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was sometime past eight and decided to head to the kitchen to grab a little snack before heading back to her room and settling in for the night and turning on a movie.

The kitchen was not empty when she arrived.  Bucky stood at the fridge with his back to her.  She pulled her earphones out and said, “Hey.”

Bucky didn’t jump, he just turned around slowly, “Hey, when did you get back?”

“A little bit ago, I’ve been in the gym,” she told him as she joined him by the fridge.  “I was able to get a little out of one of them. He and the others work for some scientists, and they want the vibranium for a weapon they’re building.”

“Where are they located?”  He asked as he popped the cap on his Coke.

She shrugged as she grabbed a bottle of water and some fruit.  “Don’t know. I walked out before I could ask him. I didn’t want to push him too hard, he was pretty traumatized and if I kept using my abilities on him he could have passed out.  I don’t even know if they would even know, they just seem like middlemen. Why would they know where the actual hideout is? Okoye is going to question them again, and if she can’t get anything else out of them, T’Challa said he’d bring me back.”

“How did you get so much out of him?”  Bucky didn’t know about Mina’s abilities.

She blushed a little, she hated explaining this part of her power to people.  “I can calm people down and get them to open up. Think of it like a siren song.  I make them trust me in a way.”

Bucky blinked, “That seems useful.”

She shrugged, “It helps when there are drunk people around and they’re being rowdy or mean.  Their inhibitions are already lowered, and I can slip in easier. People that are scared or nervous or one edge are a little harder to do because just panicking too much.”

“How many people know about this little talent of yours?”

She did a tally, “Everyone at the compound, I’ve used it on Tony a few times when he was having a problem, he says it’s better than taking medication.  And now you and T’Challa. And trust me, I don’t use it unless I have too. I don’t like using it, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil like today.”

He was silent for a moment and then said, “What else can you do?”

“Not much else,” she told him.  “Just what you’ve seen so far, I’m still discovering what my limits and things are.  Wanda’s been helpful when it comes to discovering these buried powers, she learned a lot on her own and now she’s making sure I don’t go through this alone.”

“I’m glad you have someone,” he said.  “Thank you for filling me in on how today went, and have a good rest of your evening.”

He went to leave, but she called out, “I’m going to watch a movie in my room, do you want to join me?  I’ll let you pick what we watch.”

Bucky shook his head, “No I have things that I need to do.  Enjoy your night Mina.” And with that he was gone.

Mina grabbed some popcorn and junk food, courtesy of Shuri, and headed back to her room to shower before setting up for movie night.  When she got out Okoye, Shuri, and Ayo were all sitting in her room in front of her TV.

“Uh hello?”

Shuri grinned at her, “Barnes told us you were going to have a movie night and that you invited him, but he unfortunately couldn’t join you.  We were all free so we have come to join you.”

Mina smiled, “Fun, so what are we feeling like tonight?  Romance? Comedy? Action?”

They argued over movies for a bit before they all agreed on _Knight and Day_ with a Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  It had a little bit of something for everyone, romance, comedy, and action.  They laughed and had a good time passing the popcorn around. Shuri and Okoye would have commentary to add like how Shuri could build the battery and how it wouldn’t explode.  Okoye on how primitive the use of guns were. Mina and Ayo would shush them and complain that they were both talking through the good parts.

When the movie was over Shuri was asleep and Okoye went to wake her up but Mina stopped her.  “She’s fine, just let her rest.” Okoye nodded and her and Ayo left Mina’s room as quietly as they would so they wouldn’t disturb Shuri.

Mina found an extra blanket and covered Shuri with it.  “Night Shuri,” she whispered.

“Night Mina,” Shuri said back sleepily making Mina smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to forewarn you some lewd comments are made at the end of this chapter. Nothing too explicit, but the guy Mina is questioning basically tells her he could please her in a sexual way. Also Bucky gets angry.

Mina ran through the streets of Wakanda’s capital.  Her music blasting, her mind focusing on the task at hand.  She was trying to clear her mind of the dream she had had the night before of Bucky.  It had been unexpected and when she had woken up she had half expected to find him sprawled out beside her.

She had grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, and then she had fumbled for her phone and called Natasha.  “I need advice.”

The woman on the other end chuckled, “Oh my, and what has you feeling some type of way?  Would it happen to be Mr. Bucky Barnes?”

“Yes,” she groaned.

“What happened?”  Natasha plopped down in one of her chairs in her room, ready to hear whatever had happened between Mina and Bucky.

“I had a dream about him,” Mina started.  “And before you go thinking it was a dirty dream, it wasn’t.  I just… we kissed and God did I want that to be real. I half expected him to be beside me when I woke up this morning, and when he wasn’t there I was so disappointed.”  She left out that they had almost done the deed in the dream, she just didn’t want Natasha to know that.

“And what did you want me to talk to you about?  It’s completely normal to have these types of dreams when you start having feelings for other people.  I’ve had plenty of them, just let them happen, and hopefully they’ll happen outside of your subconscious.”

“I swear he’s so hot and cold.  One moment he’s barely saying more than three words to me, the next he’s helping me cook and calling me 'doll', and then he’s back to no more than three words.  He’s driving me crazy!”

Natasha chuckled, “Maybe you should try talking to him, tell him how you feel.”

“No!”  Mina shouted.  “No, no, no. I can’t tell Bucky how I feel.  Not while we’re here in Wakanda for God knows how long.”

“Sure you can!”  Nat encouraged. “Just work up the courage and pray for the best.

“Thank you, Nat, that really helps,” Mina said sarcastically.

Nat just laughed, “Buck up buttercup, if you like a guy you have to own up to it, and nine times out of ten Bucky is never going to admit how he feels to you.  He’s quiet and reserved.”

“I know, I’ve just never done anything like this before.  Guys always asked me out. It’s a little scary when it’s you who has to do the asking.”

“You can do it, and hey you don’t have to do it right now.  You can take some time to plan everything out, maybe talk yourself down from where you’re at right now.  Just because these feelings have just now made themselves known doesn’t mean you have to act right away.”

“I know,” Mina told her.  “I should go, I want to get a run in before anyone needs me for the day.”

“All right, talk to you later and if you ever need any advice, I’m only a phone call away.”  They said a quick goodbye and Mina got ready for her run.

And that’s where she was now, running through the streets of Wakanda trying to sort through everything.  Mina decided that she was going to take a few days and see how she felt then. She also wanted to see how Bucky was going to treat her.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she almost missed him jogging ahead of her.  If the sun hadn’t glinted off his metal arm she may never have noticed him. Pulling out her earphones she sped up trying to catch him.  “Morning Bucky, out for an early morning run?”

Bucky looked down at her, and half groaned when he saw what she was wearing, a pair of shorts and a black, sports bra.  The woman was going to be the death of him. “Yeah, you too?”

“Yeah, I had trouble sleeping last night.”  She felt a blush crawl up her neck as she replayed the dream in her head.  Maybe coming over to talk to him hadn’t been the best idea.

Bucky was completely oblivious to her internal struggle to remain as calm and unflustered as possible because he was trying to focus on anything but her.  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said.

“Eh, it happens.”  They lapsed into silence.  Mina racking her brain for anything to say to him.  

“Do you wanna get something to eat?”  Bucky asked as he slowed to a walk. He didn’t need to, but he noticed Mina was struggling to keep up with him.

She was grateful for the change in pace and nodded, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

He led her to a little restaurant that served breakfast foods from all over.  Bucky already knew what he was going to over, but he watched Mina as her eyes skimmed the pages of the menu.  “Try the croissants,” he said.

She looked up, “Is that what you’re getting?”

He nodded, “One of the things.  I’m also getting the Belgian waffles.”

She flipped through the menu and saw the waffles he was talking about.  They did look good, but she was going to go with the croissant and a plate of pancakes.  A waitress came over and took their order before abruptly leaving to get their drinks and input their order.

“How’ve your missions been going?”  She asked. He had been doing a lot of separate things with some of the Dora Milaje and others within the Wakandan borders.  It was one reason why they hadn’t spent much time together, or at least why she thought they hadn’t spent much time together.

He shrugged, “They’ve been good, minor complications, but nothing I can’t handle.”  He took a sip of his water and asked, “And what about you? How have things been with T’Challa?”

“Good, Okoye questioned the men the other day and they claimed they didn’t know anything so I’ll probably be heading to the prison soon to talk to them again.  You should come with me this time. We could do the whole good cop, bad cop routine. You’d be the bad cop obviously.” She grinned at him and he shook his head fighting off a smile himself.

“And what would make me the bad cop?”  

She arched an eyebrow at him and tried to pull off one of those little smirks Natasha did sometimes.  “Well since my powers can calm people down I think it would be pretty obvious that _I_ am the good cop.”  

The waitress brought their food over and they thanked her before continuing their discussion.  “Doll, I will have you know I could probably charm the socks off those three.”

“Oh really?”  She challenged.  “All right, let’s make a little bet then.  We each get fifteen minutes with one of the guys.  Whoever can get the most information out of the guy wins.  Oh and I promise not to use my abilities.” She figured if Bucky couldn’t calm them down and make them more agreeable then she shouldn’t be able to either.

“And what are we betting?”  Bucky asked.

“Movie night,” she said.  “Winner picks the movie.”

“You’re on,” Bucky said as she stretched out his hand for her to shake.  With the deal done they ate in companionable silence.

 

After breakfast the two of them walked back to the palace and went to get ready for their trip to the prison.  T’Challa had given them the green light telling them good luck. When Mina emerged from her room she found Bucky casually leaning against the wall waiting for her.  “Ready?”

“Yep,” she smiled at him.  “And just so you know, you’re gonna lose.”

“You’re competitive aren’t you doll?”

“Oh yes, I get it from my father.  Remind me to tell you about the checker incident of ‘09 later.”

He looked at her in amusement, “Do I even want to know?”

“It’s kind of funny looking back on it now, but when it happened I was pissed,” she shook her head.  “My dad still tells the story to complete strangers when they strike up a conversation with him.”

Bucky did the math and discovered she would have been fifteen when whatever happened had happened.  She was still so young compared to him, but he liked how easy it was to talk to her, how easygoing she was.

They boarded a jet and took off for the prison.  One of the Dora Milaje greeted them and led them to the room where Stellan was sitting.  Mina was a little disappointed it wasn’t Jeffrey, but that would give her a bit of an unfair advantage.  This way they were both on equal footing.

“Who goes first?”  She looked up at Bucky who was studying the back of the man’s head.

“You can go first,” she told him.

He stepped into the room, and Mina couldn’t help but grin.  There was no way he was going to charm this man. Even with his new haircut, and clean-shaven face Bucky was still pretty intimidating.  

Bucky leaned against the table and stared at the man for a moment, “Look, I know you probably don’t like being here anymore that I like being here questioning you.  We already know that your buddy Jeffrey revealed one of your boss’s names, all we want now is their location.”

Mina bit her lip as she watched him talk to the guy.  The man was playing hardball, not giving Bucky any clues or answers.  He mainly stayed silent, but sometimes he would tell Bucky to go to hell.

When fifteen minutes was up Bucky stepped out of the room and looked at Mina, “He’s all yours, doll.”

As Mina stepped into the room Bucky took her place at the mirror to watch her interaction with the man.  She had a sultry smile on her face that made Bucky clench his fists together. “Hello Stellan, do you remember me?”

The man looked her up and down, “Yeah you were that chick that knocked Jeffrey and Karl off their feet that day.”

“Sorry about that,” she said tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and looking down bashfully.  “I was just doing my job. I really wanted to impress King T’Challa.”

“You know you could really impress our bosses.  They could use someone like you.” It was a good thing Bucky couldn’t see the grin the man was giving her or else he might have gone in and choked him.  “They’re always looking for talented individuals like yourself.”

She leaned forward a little bit, “And where could I find these scientists?  I mean I can probably help you all out, T’Challa trusts me.”

Bucky stepped closer waiting to see what the man would say.  “I don’t know where the main lab is, we just had a base in South Africa where we would meet with some of our boss’s cronies, the ones higher up on the food chain.”

“And where exactly is this place located in South Africa?”

“Cape Town, it’s easy to blend in there, but if you want to know where the building is you gotta get us out of here and we’ll take you to it sweet cheeks.”

Bucky stormed over to the door and shoved it open, “Mina, can I talk to you for a moment?”  He glared at the man cuffed to the seat.

There was a gleam in Stellan’s eyes as he realized the possessiveness in Bucky’s.  Mina, on the other hand, was too startled to even notice. “Do you not like how I’m talking to your girl?  Might want to work on how you please her because sweet cheeks there was ready to leave you for me,” the man cackled.

Bucky went to step forward, but Mina put her hands on his chest, “Bucky.”

“Move Mina,” his voice had an edge to it.

“James,” she snapped.  Bucky blinked and looked down at her angry features, “Hallway, now.”

“Oh-ho-ho well I like them feisty.  You and me could have some fun baby,” the man commented.

Mina shoved Bucky out of the room the moment the man said what he did.  “What the hell was that?” She snapped at him.

Bucky was still glaring at the door they had just gone through.  “I didn’t like how he was speaking to you.”

Mina rolled her eyes, “I can handle a few lewd comments, James.”  His eyes met hers then, there was such intensity behind them, and he liked how his name rolled off her tongue.  “You're lucky my time was up anyway, if it wasn’t I would have made you forfeit.”

Bucky was confused for a moment and then he remembered the bet the two of them had made before coming here.  “I’m sorry,” he conceded. “But you would have won anyway, you at least got a possible place where they meet.”

He saw her calm down and take in a deep breath, “Tonight James, and I’m making you watch the cheesiest, girliest, chick flick for that little outburst.”  She turned on her heel and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some time today so I'm working on this. I had some ideas last night as I was trying to fall asleep and I'm getting them out now. Second update of the day, I don't know if there will be any more. Also thank you all so much, this is the fastest any of my works has reached 100 views and I couldn't be happier. Thank you for sticking with this story so far, and for the comments and kudos, you all are amazing!  
> Also I was listening to One Last Time by Ariana Grande whilst writing this, I'm thinking of putting a little playlist together for this story. Would you all like to know what I listen to when I'm writing this?


	8. Chapter 8

T’Challa had a good collection of movies set up in the library.  They were located in a secret room where there were bookshelves filled with DVDs and Blu-Rays.  Mina had stared at them all opened mouthed. T’Challa said that it was a collection of his, his father’s, his mother’s, and Shuri’s movies.

“I’ve died and gone to movie heaven,” she said as she ran her hands over the covers of some she didn’t even think were on DVD or Blu-Ray.

“Pick out however many you like.  Just bring them back as soon as you’re done.  Shuri might come after you if she can’t find one of her favorite films.”  He tugged at the collar of his shirt, “I have first-hand experience with that.”

Mina smirked, “Did you take something without permission?”

“I would never,” T’Challa said in mock horror.  “I always ask before taking movies.”

“Sure,” she drew out the word as she plucked several movies off the shelves.  She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to watch. She hadn’t been completely serious earlier when she had told Bucky she was going to make him watch a chick flick, she did want to torture him a little bit, but she was also curious to see if he would find it interesting.

“I will be working on a plan for going to South Africa if you need me.  Enjoy your evening Mina.”

“You too,” she called out absentmindedly as she continued to load her arms up with movies.  Once she had a good amount picked out she carried them back to her room and then left again to gather provisions like drinks, popcorn, candy, and other snacks they could munch on.

She set bowls on her little coffee table and filled them up with everything she had grabbed from the kitchen.  Next she hopped in the shower and washed off quickly. She threw on mix match socks, long pants, and a tank top.  

Just as she was throwing her hair up into a haphazard bun there was a knock on her door and her heart skipped a beat.  She rushed over and threw open the door. Bucky was standing there in a white t-shirt and black sweats. “I’m here for movie night.”

She stepped aside and let him in.  “I’ve lined up a selection of movies, I thought I’d see which one you wanted to watch and then we could go from there.”

He walked over to her TV stand and looked over the four movies she had picked out.   _Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Mummy_ (the Brendan Fraser one), the live action _Cinderella,_ and _Big Hero 6._ He flipped the covers over on each of them and read the synopsis for them.  When he was done he turned to Mina, “Which one do you want to watch the most?”

Her heart was torn, they were all her favorites, she was hoping he would say which one he liked the sound of best, she would agree, and they would start the movie.  But of course he had to be a gentleman and ask her which one she wanted to watch the most.

She walked over and looked at all the movies.  “ _Cinderella_ is very good, and as far as live action remakes go this one was great.  But _Big Hero 6_ is such an adorable movie.  It’s like do I want to go with heroes or princesses?”  She let out a little sigh.

Bucky was smiling at the look on her face.  “Why don’t we watch both of them?”

She looked up from the movies, “But movie night was only supposed to be for one movie.”

“It’s fine,” Bucky said.  “If I get bored after the first one I can leave.”  She punched him as hard as she could on the arm. “Feel better?”

“Yes,” she pouted as she popped _Cinderella_ in.

She joined Bucky on her couch.  He was sitting at the far right end, and Mina decided to sit in the middle next to him.  Bucky watched her out of the corner of his eye as she situated herself on the couch. It took her a moment to get comfortable, and once she was good she started the movie.

Bucky wasn’t sure what to expect, but he actually found himself enjoying the film.  At one point he caught Mina whispering the lines. When the Prince and Cinderella were in the secret garden on the swing Mina bit her lip.  

“I love this part,” she said quietly, almost shyly.  “It’s my favorite part of the film.”

Bucky didn’t say anything as he kept watching to see what else happened.  When the clock struck midnight Cinderella began to run away from the Prince.  Mina was clutching the collar of her shirt totally caught up in the movie ignoring his presence all together it seemed.

When the movie was over she looked at Bucky, “So?”

He gave her a small smile, “It was great, I enjoyed it.”

She hummed, pleased with his answer.  “I’m glad, now you get to see _Big Hero 6.”_

They ended up watching all four movies that night.  Bucky seemed to really enjoy _The Mummy,_ it made him laugh more than the others had.   At the end of the evening Mina walked with Bucky over to her door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said quietly.

“Tomorrow,” he agreed.  He turned to go leave, but stopped at turned back to Mina.  “This has been driving me insane all night.” He reached behind her and tugged her hair free from the rubber band.  His fingers ran through the silky locks, but he quickly pulled his hands away. “Leave your hair down doll, it’s too pretty to put up in a bun like that.”  Then he fled the room leaving Mina’s cheeks flaming.

 

“Steve you’re not listening to me!  I. Took. Her. Hair. Down. And. Ran. My. Fingers. Through. It.”  He enouciated every word hoping to get his friend to understand what had happened the previous night.  It was the next day and Bucky hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep the night before.  He kept replaying that moment in his mind over and over again. He still couldn’t believe he had done that, but the moment he stepped into her room and saw she had piled her hair into a messy bun he was to tug it free and let it cascade down around her shoulders.

“Yeah, so?”

Bucky groaned, “Steve!  She doesn’t know about my feelings!  And like a dumbass I’ve been calling her doll and then to top it all off I tug her God damn hair down like I have a right to do so!”

Steve was trying not to laugh at his friend, and so were half the Avengers who were listening in.  They had bets going to see how long Bucky could hold out before he broke down and kissed her.

“Look I’ve said my piece on this,” Steve started.  “You know where I stand, you know where T’Challa stands.  And you trying to stay away from her clearly isn’t working.”

Bucky put his face in his hands, “Clearly.”

Steve shook his head and grinned, “What happened to the confident Bucky, the man that could charm the pants off anyone?”

“That Bucky doesn’t want to come out and play right now,” Bucky told him.  “Look I’m just going to pretend like things are normal, and hopefully she won’t bring it up.  I gotta go run a reconnaissance mission with T’Challa today, I’ll contact you with more details on the mission later.”  He hit the end button and stood up to go find T’Challa.

He was in his office looking over some paperwork.  He set it all down when he heard Bucky enter. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” Bucky said.  “Very much so.”

“Before we go there is something I’d like you to see,” T’Challa said mysteriously.  He led him through the palace halls to a window overview a field where the Dora Milaje were currently sparring with Mina.  

“Shuri finished the armor,” Bucky realized as he saw the turquoise flames that were Mina’s powers.

“She did,” T’Challa confirmed.  “And Mina has been working with the Dora Milaje for a few days now.  She’s an excellent fighter.” T’Challa looked away from the scene below them.  “I’m thinking of asking her to stay for a little while longer after the mission is over.”

Bucky looked up at T’Challa startled, “Really?”

T’Challa nodded, “Shuri still wants to work with her on creating new tech, and Okoye likes training with her.  It won’t be permanent, but I think she would be happy with the arrangement.”

Bucky thought so too, but a selfish part of him didn’t want her to stay.  He wanted her to come back to the compound with him so he could see her almost every day, and be near her even if it was only as a friend.  “When are you going to offer this to her?”

“Tonight, once we come back from South Africa,” T’Challa supplied.

Bucky kept quiet thinking over what this would mean.  Once the mission was over if Mina agreed to stay in Wakanda then he would be going back to the compound alone.  It would be months, maybe a year, before he saw her again. “We should go,” he said, turning away from the window and heading toward the jet that was going to take them to Cape Town.

 

Mina dodged an attack that Okoye sent her way.  The blunt end of the spear barely missing Mina’s face.  She righted herself and grinned at Okoye, “Cutting it a bit close aren’t we?”

Okoye returned Mina’s grin, “You’ll heal.”

Mina blocked another attack from one of the other women in the group, and shot a bolt of her power toward Ayo.  She went flying backward, but she was unharmed when she stood up and came rushing to attack again.

Shuri was sitting on the sidelines recording everything making mental notes on things she might need to change when she upgraded the armor.  “Okay, okay I’ve seen enough!” She shouted at the others.

Everyone came to a stop and Mina sucked in several deep breaths.  “Exhilarating as always ladies.” They each went to grab a bottle of water when Okoye’s Kimoyo beads started to beep.

T’Challa’s face appeared, “We need medical attention at once, Bucky was shot.”  Icy dread filled Mina as she stared at T’Challa. She thought she had heard him wrong, they weren’t supposed to engage in any fighting.  “We’ll be there in less than twenty.” With the ETA Mina rushed to her room to change so that she could meet them in the medical wing of the palace.  She prayed that Bucky was all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have come to realize that I hate writing slow burns. I thought I could do this, but nooooo here I am only eight chapters in going "When can I make these two kiss?" Gods damn it I just want these two crazy kids to kiss!! And I'm the one writing this thing! Also I apologize now for the angst that's about to happen.... (Trust me I'd hate me too if I was reading this thing lol)


	9. Chapter 9

Mina paced outside the room where the doctors were working on Bucky.  He had taken several bullets to his stomach and chest, she thought she heard someone say there was one in his leg.  She had stopped listening when she had seen so much blood.

T’Challa was standing outside the room with her and Shuri.  No one had spoken for quite some time. “I should call Steve,” Mina’s voice was barely a whisper.  “He needs to know.”

Shuri looked over at her friend, “Let me call him, you’re too shook up.”

Mina shook her head, “No, I need to do this.”  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and headed to a more private location to call Steve.

“Hey Mina!”  He sounded so chipper, he didn’t even know his best friend was in surgery.  Mina broke down into tears, all her stress and worry just overpowering her. “Mina, what’s wrong?”  Steve’s whole tone changed in an instant.

“It’s Bucky,” she sobbed.  “He was shot.”

There was silence and then, “He isn’t…?”  Steve couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘dead’.  He had lost Bucky once, he couldn't imagine losing him a second time.

“No,” she sniffled.  “They’re working on him now, they’re almost a hundred percent positive that he’s going to make a full recovery, it’s just that they have to be careful because of where the bullets are.  They could nick a major artery with a few of them.”

Steve was sitting in the living room of the compound, his head was spinning, and several of the others looked over at him in worry.  “Do you need me to come over there?”

Mina rubbed her eyes with the back of her sleeve.  “No, not unless you want to. I can update you when they bring him out of surgery.”

“Do that,” he said.  “I won’t come unless it’s necessary.”  There was a pause and then, “Everything’s going to be okay Mina.”

“I know,” she whispered.  “I’m just so scared.”

Someone called Steve’s name, it sounded like Sam.  “I hate to do this to you, but duty calls. Just call me whenever and I’ll try to answer if I can.”

“All right, stay safe,” she told him.

“You too Mina.”  The line went dead.

Mina walked back into the room to see the doctor talking with T’Challa.  Both he and Shuri looked relieved and Mina relaxed a little. “Thank you, Doctor,” T’Challa said.  He turned to see Mina lingering in the doorway waiting for him to finish up. “Bucky will make a full recovery.”  Mina’s eyes closed and she let out a shaky breath. “He’s going to be out of it for a while, they have him on a lot of medications, but his body will burn through them quickly.  He should be healed within a few days if he takes it easy and lets his body rest.”

“Can I see him?”  She asked.

“Yes, you can,” he said.  “We’ll be around if you need us.”  T’Challa shooed Shuri away even though she protested a little bit.  Mina entered the room where Bucky laid on the bed. His shirt was off and she could see the bandages covering the places where he had been hit.  He was hooked up to all kinds of machines, his heart rate was steady and so were his other vitals.

Mina pulled a chair over to his bed and took his hand.  “You really scared me there Bucky. This was just supposed to be a simple mission, in and out no complications.  When T’Challa called Okoye and said you had been shot I was so worried that you wouldn’t make it.” She squeezed his hand just to reassure herself that he was still there and that he was still alive.  A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “When you’re better I’m going to kick your ass for scaring me half to death.”

“I would expect nothing less doll,” he croaked.  One of his eyes opened slightly, trying to adjust to the light.  “God it hurts.”

She smiled a little, it was so good to hear his voice.  “Well I should expect so, you were shot in five different places.  What the hell happened?” His fingers tightened slightly around hers and she squeezed a little harder.

“Everything was going fine,” he recalled.  He winced in pain as he tried taking a breath.  “We were looking around this one building that claimed it was condemned, but it looked too… pristine?  I don’t know if that’s the right word to use or not. We weren’t reading any heat signatures, and we tried to blend in, but all of a sudden this SUV pulls up and people began shooting at us.  I threw myself in front of T’Challa since he wasn’t wearing his suit and he managed to drag me to the safety of the jet before I passed out.  I'm surprised we even managed to get that far.”

“Do you think they were waiting to see if anyone would come snooping around since their three guys didn’t come back with the vibranium?”

“Most likely,” he said.  He rolled his head so that he could look at her better.  “Have you been crying?”

“Yes,” she wasn’t going to lie to him.  “I was so worried, and I know that you’re this super soldier and you’re resilient as all get out, but I was just so worried that this was what was going to do you in.”

“It’s gonna take a lot more than a few little bullets to put me out to pasture.”  That made Mina crack up laughing. “What?” Bucky asked in confusion.

“‘Put me out to pasture’?  What kind of saying is that?”

“Oh hardy har har, pick on the old man and his funny sayings,” he rolled his eyes and shook his head.  She kept laughing, and he chuckled a little, but it hurt too much so he had to stop.

“Does your age bother you?”  She asked once her laughing had died down and she could actually form a sentence again.

 _Only when it comes to you,_ he thought.  “Sometimes. I just feel so out of place in this time period.  Steve, well Steve has adjusted nicely, he doesn’t let things bother him, but with me, I’m like a fish out of water.”  He paused waiting to see if she would laugh at him again.

She held up her hands, Bucky’s hand still linked with one of them.  “I’m not going to laugh a that one, I’ve used it too.”

He was relieved that she knew that one.  “It’s also hard to make friends when you used to be a killer for HYDRA.”

“But that wasn’t you,” she said.  “People can’t fault you for what you did when they had control of your mind.”

“I’m pretty sure Tony does,” he looked away from her.  “I killed his parents, and he hated me for so long. I think he’s trying to forgive me for Steve’s sake, but I can still see it in his eyes.”

“Tony’s one person,” Mina argued.

“Mina, please.”  He hated that even though she knew what he had done as the Winter Soldier she still saw the good in him, still had faith in him.

Mina could see that he was becoming a bit distressed by this conversation, so she changed it quickly.  “T’Challa and Shuri were here, they were worried about you. I’m sure they’ll come see you later.” She looked at the clock on the bedside table and sighed, “I should go and let you get some sleep, the doctor said if you rested properly that you could be healed in a few days.”

She went to get up, but Bucky held onto her hand tighter.  “Stay,” he whispered. “Please.”

Slowly, she sat back down in her chair.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded, “Just for a little bit longer.”

They talked for a while and Mina rested her head on the edge of the bed.  Her eyes slowly started getting heavier and a large yawn escaped her. “I’m sleepy,” she mumbled.

Buck smiled, “I can see.”

“Good night, Bucky.”

“Good night doll,” he responded as her eyelids finally closed and her breathing softened.  He unlaced their fingers, and after a moment’s hesitation, began to stroke her hair. He talked to her knowing that she wouldn’t hear or remember a word in the morning.  “I really like you, Mina. More than I’ve liked anyone in a long time. Steve and everyone is telling me to go for this, but I can’t. But it’s so hard for me to stay away from you doll.  You make it impossible. Your laugh, your eyes, your everything. T’Challa’s going to ask you to stay and I think that might be for the best. Maybe some distance from you will be better for me.  Maybe I can get over you once this is all said and done. I don’t know, probably not, but a guy can dream. Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest even though you can’t hear a word I’m saying right now.  But I just had to tell you that I care for you, much more than a friend or work acquaintance should.  Seeing you crying over me also hurts, you deserve to be with a guy that isn't going to get shot at all the time.  A guy that will come home at the end of the, kiss you, and promise you the world.  That's just not something I can do....”  He felt an ache in his chest as he said those words, but he knew they were true.  Today had only proven that he should stay away from her, he didn't want to see her like this ever again.

The room lapsed into silence for a while and then he heard Mina say, “James.”  It was a low moan and Bucky froze, just staring at her for a moment. She shifted in her sleep, but she never woke up.

Bucky laid in the bed for another hour just replaying that one little moment over and over in his mind.  Mina started to stir again and Bucky quickly pretended to be asleep. He heard her stand, felt her lips brush his forehead, heard her whisper good night, and then slipped out of the room.  

 

It had happened again.  She had had another dream about Bucky, but this time when she woke up he had been asleep beside her.  Of course not in the way she wanted it to be, but still.

Their hands had been unclasped when she had awoken from her little nap beside his bed.

Bucky had been asleep, so she took the opportunity to brush some of his hair back and kiss his forehead.  She had just been so relieved when he had woken up and was all right.

She slipped out of the room and down the hall thinking about the dream she had had.

_She and Bucky were in her room watching a movie.  They were sitting closer than they usually did which surprised her.  She couldn’t remember what they were watching, she only remembered the credits had started rolling.  She turned to ask Bucky what he had thought of this one and she discovered that he had been staring at her.  “What?” She asked with a little laugh._

_He hesitated and then launched into a long speech, “I like you, Mina.  More than I have anyone else in a long time. At first I was uncomfortable around you, I knew you looked up to me, but I didn’t know you either.  And then once I got to know you I fell for you even more. From the first night I saw you at Tony’s party I fell for you. I want to be with you Mina, but I don’t know if being with you will ever be an option because of my past.”_

_Mina sat there for a moment and just stared at Bucky.  “Bucky, I like you too. I think I always have, but I was just denying my feelings for you.  I’ve known about you since I was a teenager and you just seemed like this incredible guy, and now here I am in Wakanda with you and my opinion of you hasn’t changed a bit.”  She moved closer to him and took his hands in hers. “I know you’re still haunted by your past, but I want to help you move past that. I want to be with you.”_

_The pained look on his face broke her heart, “Mina….”_

_“No,” she said harshly.  “Don’t talk yourself out of this.  You just told me that you had feelings for me, you can’t back out now.  We both need to stop denying ourselves the chance to be happy.”_

_He tangled his fingers in her hair much like he had the other night when he had taken her hair down.  “What if I hurt you somehow?”_

_She shook her head, “You won’t.”_

_“But--”_

_“James,” she said forcefully.  “You won’t.” Before she could reconsider what she was doing she leaned in and kissed him.  His lips were soft against hers, her hands wrapped around his neck, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.  Bucky picked her up gently so that she was straddling his lap. He broke the kiss momentarily to look up at her._

_“Are you sure?”  He asked hesitantly._

_She nodded, “Yes.”  He began kissing her again, a bit more roughly than before.  His hands slipped under her tank top and she shivered as his metal hand touched her bare skin.  It was such an unusual feeling, something she wasn’t used too. “James,” she moaned as he trailed his lips down her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin at the crook of her neck._

It wasn’t long after that that the dream faded away and she was awake again.  

She slumped against her door and let out a frustrated moan.  Why did her traitorous subconscious have to do this to her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found a loophole in my kissing dilemma. Also, thank you everyone for the lovely comments and the kudos. It really means a lot to me that you all are enjoying it. I originally wasn't going to post this story, it was just going to be for me, but I wanted to see what people thought of it. Plus I love sharing my stories with people because I want to make others happy like books and fanfiction make me happy when I'm down or have had a bad day. There's nothing a good piece of literature can't fix. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get this many views, kudos, or comments this fast. It's truly blown me away, so again thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you've been showing After Effects.  
> Also I bought a shirt yesterday that says "I am like Steve Rogers in the fact that I too would start a Civil War for Bucky Barnes."


	10. Chapter 10

T’Challa was in Bucky’s room the next morning when Mina arrived to check on him.  He smiled when he saw her, trying not to let her know how much pain he actually was in.  “Hey doll, did you sleep all right?”

She eyed him wearily, “You’re in pain aren’t you?”

His smile faltered for a moment, “No, what makes you say that?”

“Call it a woman’s intuition,” she moved closer.  She wanted to take his hand like she had the night before, but she kept it clenched at her side.  “Meds wear off already?”

He nodded, “Yeah, my body’s burning through them quickly.  But it’s nothing I can’t handle. Don’t worry about me.”

“You were shot, it’s a little hard not to worry about you."  She looked over at T’Challa, “Has the doctor seen him yet?”

He nodded, “Yes, he checked on him about an hour ago.  He should be back around noon.”

“You gonna be okay on your own?”  She asked Bucky. “I had plans to introduce Peter to Shuri today, but I can text Peter and tell him we’ll have to do it another day if you want some company.”

“No, don’t cancel your plans for me, doll.  I’m sure Peter’s excited to meet Shuri and see her lab even if it is just through a screen.”

Mina nodded, “All right.  I’ll bring you dinner later and maybe even a movie so we can watch something.”  She and T’Challa headed out into the hall and she looked up at him. “How’s he really doing?”

“He’ll be in a bit of pain today, but honestly I’m pretty sure he can handle it after all he’s been through.  His wounds are healing remarkably well, and he should be able to leave the hospital wing tomorrow so he can finish recuperating there.”  

“That’s a relief,” she said.  “Call me if you need anything, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know you will,” T’Challa placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.  “Try to have some fun today, yesterday was stressful for you, and Shuri is very excited to meet Peter.”

They parted ways and Mina headed to Shuri’s lab where she was no doubt getting ready to video chat with Peter.  

Music was blaring when she arrived and she discovered Shuri was in the middle of working on a new suit that looked like it was for Peter.  “Is that for Peter?” Mina asked making Shuri jump.

“Ah don’t scare me like that!”  She glared at her friend. “And yes, I figured if he’s getting shot at like Bucky then the vibranium in the suit will protect him from that.”  She held it up for Mina to see. “What do you think?”

It looked like the one that he wore now, but with some subtle differences like the web design, and the spider looked slimmer than the one Tony had designed for him.  “It looks great Shuri! Peter will probably love it.”

“It should work with Stark’s tech, so he’ll still hear FRIDAY, but I added some Shuri flare to it.”  She laid it back down on her table. “I won’t show it to him today. It’s not quite ready.”

Mina took a seat beside her and said, “How do you make all these things so quickly?”

Shuri gestured around her lab, “I have some of the best tech in the world, it’s not that hard.  Plus I stay up late some nights and work on all these ideas. I have so many, you know? Sometimes it’s a little hard to sleep with all the ideas rattling around up here,” she tapped on the side of her head.

Mina’s phone buzzed and she saw it was from Peter.

 **Spidey-Boy:** Can you call me now?  I want to finally meet Shuri!

 **Mina:**  Yeah, yeah, give me a second.

Mina opened up her Skype account and saw that Peter was on and raring to go.  She hit the video call button and it began to ring. A moment later Peter’s face appeared and he smiled at her.  He was currently at the compound in his room. “Hey, what’s up Witchy Woman?”

“Nothing much Spidey-Boy,” she grinned when Peter’s cheeks turned pink.  “Peter meet Shuri, Shuri meet Peter.”

“Hello,” Peter beamed at Shuri.  “It’s nice to finally meet you. Mina’s been telling me that we’d get along great.”

Shuri chuckled, “Everyone has been telling me that we’d get along too.”  The two of them began to talk and share their ideas with one another. Shuri showed him her latest design in armor, and Mina did a little demonstration for Peter.  He began asking her all kinds of questions about how she came up with the design and how well it fit.

Mina sat back and let them talk to one another.  They shared vine references with one another. Shuri telling Peter about her brother’s embarrassing sandals and how she had said, “What are those?”, at him when she had seen them.  Peter laughed and told her about how he had several references when he was out saving the day.

After about an hour into their Skype session Peter looked over at Mina and asked, “How’s Bucky doing?”

“Recovering,” Mina told him.  “He’s in a bit of pain because the medications wear off quicker for him, but he’ll make a full recovery soon.  How’s Steve?”

“Ready to hope a Quinjet to Wakanda right now,” Peter said truthfully.  “He’s been super stressed since last night. Tony had to bench him until he calmed down.”

“I should call him,” Mina said.  “I’ll be right back.” The two of them said okay and Mina took the stairs to the landing pad.  

“Mina, how is he?”  Steve answered almost immediately.  He sounded out of breath and Mina figured he had been on a run trying to get all the stress out.

“He’s good, he’s in some pain, but the doctor said he’d make a full recovery.”  She started to pace, “Peter said you were ready to hop on a Quinjet to Wakanda and that Tony had to bench you.”

“He did, but he just said it was until Buck made the recovery.  And Peter is right, it’s taking all I have not to get on one of the jets and come straight to Wakanda.”

“Maybe you should,” Mina suggested.  “We could use some help with this. This is a little more complicated than some insurgents that want to steal vibranium.  We’re talking about a group of people that want to build a weapon.”

“I’ll call T’Challa and ask him if it’s all right if a couple of us come over and help out.  It’ll probably be me, Nat, Clint, Wanda, and Sam. Possibly Pietro, he’s dying to see Wakanda.”

“Oh God, please do not unleash Pietro Maximoff to the Wakandan people.  I think he’d drive everyone crazy.”

Steve laughed, “You’re not wrong.  I’ll see how many of us T’Challa will allow to come and I’ll get back to you.”

“Sounds good,” she was glad that more backup was possibly coming.  “I need to go, I left Shuri and Peter unsupervised and who knows what those two will cook up in that lab of hers.”

Steve laughed, “Go, I’ll text you later with details.”

Mina headed back to the lab and discovered that Peter and Shuri were talking about suit designs for everyone on the team.  She sat back and let them work.

 

Mina was in the kitchen later that evening making lasagna for everyone when T’Challa entered the room.  “It smells wonderful,” he leaned against the counter and watched as she spread the sauce.

“Thank you,” she put on a layer of noodles.  “I figured I’d take some to Bucky, and we could have this for dinner.”

“Good idea.”  T’Challa was silent for a moment and then asked, “Mina, how would you feel about staying a little longer in Wakanda after the mission is over?”

Mina stood there staring at T’Challa in shock, “Did I hear that right?  Did you ask me if I wanted to stay in Wakanda?”

T’Challa chuckled at her surprised expression, “Not forever.  It’s just that Shuri loves the fact that you’re here and the Dora Milaje like training with you.  I figured you could stay a little while longer if you’re not needed anywhere else.”

Mina stood there completely stunned by this.  She hadn’t expected to be asked to stay for a longer period of time.  “I’m so honored that you all want me to stay and train with you all. I just need to check with Tony and Steve and make sure they’re cool with it, but if they were then I don’t see why not.”

T’Challa nodded, “Of course.  I completely understand that. I just wanted to extend the offer and to tell you that you are welcome here anytime.”

“Thank you T’Challa, that means a great deal to me.”  She shoved the lasagna into the oven and asked, “Did Steve get in contact with you?”

“About him and a few others coming to help us with this new problem?  Yes, he did, and have agreed to let them come. It will be good for us now that we know we’re up against a bigger threat.”

“I agree,” she said as she took a seat beside him.  “I’ll feel better knowing we’ll have backup if things take a turn for the worst like they did with you and Bucky the other day.”

“I have a feeling that this isn’t just going to be a quick solution, this is HYDRA proportions.  We don’t know how big their operation is, or how many people work for them.”

“We don’t even know their motive behind creating this weapon,” she bit her nail.  “World domination? Do they want to destroy a country or a group of people? What is their endgame?”

“We will find that out Mina, and we won’t let that happen.”

When the lasagna was done she cut some pieces for her and Bucky and then told T’Challa that he and the others could have the rest.  She grabbed the movies she had picked out off the table and headed to the medical wing to see Bucky.

He had his eyes closed when she entered the room and she was afraid to wake him.  “Thank God, you’re finally here. I’ve been bored out of my mind all day.” He blinked several times and looked at Mina who was standing there with the movies in her hands.

“Why didn’t you try to find something on TV?”  She asked as she opened the first DVD case and popped the movie in.

“I didn’t know what to watch, there were just so many choices and I got tired of trying to find something good.”

She snorted and passed him a plate of lasagna after he had sat up.  “Well then I guess it’s a good thing I’m here now.” She dragged another chair over so she could prop her feet up.  She hit play and the open screen for _National Treasure_ came on.

They ate in silence, both of them engrossed in the movie to talk.  Sometimes Bucky would ask her questions and she tried to answer them without giving anything away.  When the movie was done and dinner had been eaten Mina turned her chair to face Bucky. “How do you feel?”  

He shrugged, “Better than earlier, the pain is starting to go away.  Just really bored,” they both chuckled.

“Well tomorrow you should be moving back into your room.”  She twirled a piece of hair around her absentmindedly, Bucky watched her.  He noticed she had been wearing it down a lot more since he had told her it looked better down.  “Steve and a few of the others are coming.”

Bucky gave her a look, “Do they not think we can handle this on our own?”

“No it’s not that, it’s just where these people seem to have a bigger operation than we were led to believe, we think it’s best if we have more people helping us.  I know Steve is coming, possibly Sam and Nat. Wanda is also a possibility. To be honest I’m kind of relieved. With them here we can cover more ground and bounce more ideas off of one another.”

“True,” Bucky agreed.  “As long as it wasn’t just because I was shot.”

Mina shook her head and smiled, “I’m pretty sure Steve is coming because you were shot.  Tony had to bench him because he was so worried. I think he’ll calm down once he sees you and knows that you’re not about to die on us.”

“Steve has always been a worrier,” Bucky said.  “Tough, but a worrier.”

Mina smiled, “Tell me about him from back in the day before he became this super soldier.”

Bucky eased back on his pillows, “He’s actually not much different.  He was shorter of course, but he was never one to run away from a fight.  He wanted so badly to fight that he would fake his enlistment forms. He felt bad that other men got to fight while he didn’t.”

“But then they injected him with the serum and it turned him into Captain America, right?”

“Yeah, and the first time I saw him I thought I had lost my mind.  He was so much bigger. I was used to small Steve, and then incomes him and for a moment I thought maybe I had finally snapped, but no he told me he had been injected with something that did that to him.”

“And he finally got to fight,” she said.

“And he finally got to fight,” he parroted.  

He yawned and Mina stood up, “I should go.  You need your rest.”

He grabbed her hand and twined his fingers with hers, “Hey, tell me about how you discovered your powers.  I don’t know the story.”

She hated to do it, but she let his hand go and said, “Tomorrow.  Get some rest Sergeant Barnes, we’ve got company coming and I’m pretty sure Steve’s going to be fussing over you like a mother hen tomorrow.”

Bucky shook his head and chuckled, “Yes ma’am.”

“Good night Bucky,” she said right before she slipped out the door.

“Good night doll,” he whispered to the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I'll get to post tomorrow because I have work that I need to do so I'll probably be busy. Think of this as an advance lol. Hope you all enjoy!


	11. Chapter 11

The Quinjet landed on the landing pad the next afternoon.  Bucky was in a wheelchair beside Mina waiting for Steve and the others to disembark.  The two of them had argued about whether he should be out there when the others landed or not.

“You’re still healing!”  She yelled at him. He was being infuriating right now.

“Yes, but I don’t want to be lying in my bed when they arrive!”  Bucky frowned at her.

Mina ran a hand through her hair, “James, you are not going to be out there when Steve and the others arrive.”

“The hell I’m not,” he argued back.  “You can’t stop me.”

“You two sound like an old married couple,” T’Challa joked.  Both of them shot a glare at him and he held up his hands and slowly backed away.

Bucky looked back at Mina, “You’ll be right there with me doll, and as soon as they arrive and go get settled you can take me to my room and fuss over me before Steve has a chance to do so.”

Mina saw that there was no winning with him.  He was going to find a way out onto that landing pad if it was the last thing he did.  So it was better that she take him herself rather than let him find his own way out.

The doors opened and a second later Pietro was in front of her scooping her into his arms and twirling her around.  “How’s my Little Mina?” He asked as he squeezed her. He turned to face Bucky and saw that the other man was glaring at him.  He merely smirked and sat Mina back down.

“Hello Pietro, what have we said about the nickname?”

He rolled his eyes, “Ah but you’re so much smaller than me.  The nickname is perfect.”

“I prefer to call her Little Panther,” T’Challa said as he walked over to them.  He held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Pietro.”

“You too King T’Challa.”  He bowed slightly and T’Challa told him that he wasn’t big on formalities.  

Wanda and Nat hugged Mina next.  Clint just waved and said hello. Sam hugged her after that.  He turned and stuck his tongue out at Bucky who glared. Sam knew the moment Bucky was out of that wheelchair and fully recovered that he was dead meat, but it was worth it to see the jealous look on Bucky’s face.

“Witchy Woman!”  A familiar voice yelled.

Mina spun around and saw Peter standing there waving like an idiot, “Spidey-Boy!”  She rushed over and hugged her friend. “What’s up kid? How’d you convince Tony to let you come?”

Steve walked over, “He was a stowaway.”

“I had Aunt May’s permission, she just assumed Tony knew,” he said sheepishly.

Mina ruffled his hair and said, “Don’t worry kid, I’ll protect you from the big, bad Ironman.”

Steve wrapped his arms around Mina and whispered, “Why is Bucky not in his room?”

Mina growled, “The stubborn, old man wouldn’t stay there.  He threatened to come out here by himself if I didn’t help him.  So it was either bring him out here or let the idiot possibly injure himself further by trying to come out here himself.”

Steve laughed, “That sounds like him.”  He pulled away and headed toward Bucky, “Come on old man, let’s get you back inside.”

“Steve!”  Mina yelled, half laughing at what he had just called Bucky.

Bucky looked between them with a confused look on his face.  “Did I miss something?”

“No,” Mina said.  She didn’t want him to know she had called him an old man.

At the same time Steve said, “Yes.”

Mina hip bumped Steve out of the way and took over pushing Bucky back inside.  “Steve, you look tired go unpack and get settled in. I can handle James.”

Bucky had learned that she only used his first name when she was either trying to get his attention or she was frustrated with him, or that one night when she moaned it while she had been asleep.  “Still frustrated with me huh?”

“Yes,” she said in a pouty tone.  “You should be resting and yet you’re out here greeting the team, I knew Steve was going to bring it up.  He didn’t think you should be out here either.”

“Well I am and the two of you can calm down.  Now what did Steve mean when he called me ‘old man’?”

Mina sighed, “When Steve hugged me, he asked me why you were out here and I called you a stubborn, old man.”

Bucky laughed and shook his head, “You didn’t.”

“I did,” Mina shook her head.  “But in my defense, you were acting like a stubborn, old man.”

“Fine, I concede, I was being a stubborn, old man.”

Mina pushed Bucky’s door open with her powers and wheeled him inside and over to his bed.  She helped him up and watched as he winced. She wished there was something she could do to make him feel better.  “Do you need anything?”

He shook his head, “No, I’m good right now.  Thank you for agreeing to let me meet the team with you, doll.”

“Of course,” she responded.  “I just didn’t want you to try and meet us out there yourself.”

He patted the space beside him on the bed, “Come here.”

Mina’s heart started to pound as she crawled onto the bed and took a seat next to Bucky.  “Tell me about how you discovered your powers.”

“It was actually the first time that the Avengers made an appearance.  There was fighting in New York, some of the Chitauri had attacked the building where my family’s pizza shop was.  I actually managed to stop some of the attacks they sent our way with a force field of my powers. I don’t know how I did it, I just guess the fear of dying made me manifest?  My parents and I were so shocked. We managed to get everyone to safety and once the battle was over and my family moved I tried to recreate what I had done, and slowly but surely I did.”  She felts something resting on her shoulder and saw that Bucky had fallen asleep.

She stayed perfectly still not wanting to disturb him.  Five minutes after discovering he was asleep Steve entered the room and arched an eyebrow at the sight of his best friend fast asleep on Mina’s shoulder.

“Help,” she mouthed to him.

He walked over and whispered, “Can you hold his head in place with your magic while we switch positions?”  She nodded and the two of them quickly switched. “Go, I got it from here.”

“Thanks Steve, I’ll come check on him in a little bit.”  Steve gave her the thumbs up and rested his head against the wall closing his eyes as he did so.

 

It was a few hours later when Bucky woke up, but something was wrong.  He remembered falling asleep with his head resting on Mina’s shoulder, her flowery perfume overwhelming him in a good way, and her calming voice lulling him to sleep.  Now all he could smell was Steve’s body wash.   He jerked back and found Steve grinning at him, “Expecting someone else?” 

“What the hell man?”  Bucky frowned. “Where’s Mina?”

“I relieved her of duty, she’s probably hanging out with the others right now.  Don’t worry she said she come check on you later.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest, “How are things between you two?  I’m assuming you still haven’t confessed.”

Bucky scratched the back of his neck, “I did, but she was asleep when I did.”

Steve threw up his hands, “Then you technically didn’t confess to her.”

“Yes I did, just not in the way you wanted me to,” Bucky argued back.

Steve stood up, “I’m not going to argue with you about this, especially since you’re still recovering.  Do you want something to eat?”

There was a knock on the door and Mina peaked in, “Does anyone want cheeseburgers?  Clint decided to grill some.”

“Do I actually get to come out of my room or are you going to bring them to me?”  Bucky asked.

She stepped further into the room and placed her hands on her hips, “What would make you stay in here to eat?”

“You and a movie,” he smirked, he liked the way her cheeks starting turning bright red, the subtle way she gulped.

Steve shook his head, trying not to grin.  These two idiots were perfect for one another.  “Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll bring you some burgers and a movie and we can eat together.”  She looked at Steve, “Will you be joining us?”

“Oh no,” Steve said trying not to give away anything.  “I’ll eat with the others and catch up with T’Challa.”

“Why?”  Bucky asked with a grin.  “You all but confirmed the two of you call one another almost every day to talk.  I figured the two of you would be all caught up by now.”

Steve smacked his friend upside the head, “We do not talk on the phone everyday… it’s more like every other day.”

Bucky chuckled, “Sure.”

“But in all seriousness, I am going to eat with the others so the two of you enjoy your dinner together.”  He and Mina exited Bucky’s room so she could get their food and a movie. “I see things are better between you and Bucky.”

“Yeah, he’s a little more at ease with me now.  Sometimes he’s still a little gruff, but not as much as he was at first.”

“I’m glad,” Steve said.  “He seems happy.”

“I hope so,” Mina replied.  “I know certain things still bother him, and all I want is for him to be able to move past those times and be happy.”

“He will one day,” Steve replied.  “Maybe even with your help.”

“You think?”

“I do,” Steve told her as they stepped out onto one of the terraces where the others had gathered.  Mina broke off from Steve and walked over to Clint. “I need three,” she told him.

“Little Mina, are you not joining us?”  Pietro asked.

She turned to her friends, “Not tonight.  I’m eating with Bucky, it’s the only way I could get him to stay in his room and rest.”

Natasha smirked at her, “Is there something you’d like to tell us?”

“No,” Mina sputtered.  “Bucky and I are just friends.”

“You sure about that?”  Peter asked. He and Shuri were sitting next to one another, but they had turned around to look at her.  

Okoye was grinning, “You two have become a lot more familiar with one another.  And I saw the tapes from the interrogation the other day.”

Everyone’s head snapped toward Okoye, “What happened?!”  They all practically shouted.

“What are you even talking about?”  Mina asked startled. “Nothing happened when we were interrogating that Stellan guy.”  

“Are you sure?  Because he seemed pretty worked up by what the man said to you.”

“Well I mean he just didn’t like how he was treating me….  It doesn’t mean anything. Bucky’s just a friend.”

“A friend who calls you doll,” T’Challa said getting in on the conversation.

Everyone looked back at Mina.  “He calls you ‘doll’?” Wanda asked.

“Sometimes,” she said as she squirmed in her place.  “It’s not a big deal I’m sure he calls a lot of women doll.”

Natasha looked at all the women present and said, “Has he ever called any of you doll because he sure as hell hasn’t called me that.”

“No,” they all said in response.

Mina turned back to Clint who was staying out of this conversation.  He did not want to get in on this conversation. “Are the burgers done yet Clint?”  She asked a bit desperately.

Clint silently passed her a plate with the burgers done just how she and Bucky liked them and she practically fled the scene, her face bright red.  

When she got back to Bucky’s room with the burgers and a movie her face must still have been red because Bucky asked, “Doll, is something wrong?”

She looked at him a bit startled and in a shaky tone said, “Nope, everything’s fine.”  She thrust the plate of food at him and said, “Hold this.” Then she turned to the TV and tried to get the movie to work.

 

Back on the terrace Clint glared at everyone, “You people are too mean to that poor girl.”

Natasha looked at her best friend and said, “Oh come on you can’t tell you that you don’t want to lock them in a room until they admit how they feel.”

“You should have see the glare he shot my way when I hugged Mina today when we arrived,” Pietro said.  “I’m a dead man when he’s healed.”

“You too?”  Sam asked.  “I stuck my tongue out at him.”  Sam and Pietro high fived one another while Wanda smacked her brother.

“We need to go out dancing,” Natasha said with a sly grin.  “We can kill two birds with one stone. Those men you capture said they had a base of operations in South Africa.  We go there, we go to a club. Mina’s a pretty good dancer, there’s no way he’ll pass up an opportunity to be close to her like that.  Some of us will go to the club while the others comb the city to see if we can discover their hideout.”

“As long as I do not have to put on another wig I am all for this plan,” Okoye said.

With the idea set, they all began to go over the details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the only update today, but I had more time to write this than I thought I would. But will the teams' plan work? I'm pretty sure my friends would do this to me if I liked someone and that other person liked me back and they just wanted us to finally be together. I'm pretty sure they tried to do that to me back in high school with me and my best friend... It didn't work though lol.


	12. Chapter 12

Bucky was healed a few days later and thankfully he was glad that he wouldn’t have Steve checking on him every five minutes.  However, that also meant that Mina wouldn’t be checking up on him either. So it was a win-lose situation for Bucky.

He joined the others for breakfast and found that Mina was wedged in between Pietro and Sam, he frowned, but didn’t comment.  He was suddenly wishing it was just the two of them again.  He heard Mina laugh at something Pietro said and he tensed up. Why did they all have to come?

Bucky took a seat next to Steve and Mina looked over and gave him a smile before turning to Sam and telling him something in Italian.  Steve leaned over and whispered, “She’s been teaching everyone cuss words this morning.”

Bucky snorted, “Of course she has.”  He had never actually heard her speak Italian, but he loved the way the words sounded as she spoke them.

Sam repeated the words and Mina nodded her head and clapped.  “ _Molto bene_!”

Sam looked over at Bucky, “Hey Buck, can you teach us how to cuss in Russian.”

“No,” he said stoically.  Bucky still didn’t like Sam.

“You know Sam,” Natasha purred.  “If you wanted to curse in Russian all you had to do was ask.”  Natasha turned to Mina, “Do you know any dirty words?”

Mina’s cheeks heated and she nodded her head, “Yes, but I’m not going to tell all of you.”  There were a couple of ‘aw come ons’ going around the room, but she was adamant about not telling them the dirty words.

After breakfast Natasha offered to do a workout with Mina and work on her fighting skills some.  Mina quickly agreed and went to change before finding Natasha in the gym.

Steve looked over at Bucky, “Are we going to the gym or…?”  He trailed off waiting to see if he best friend would adlib for him, but he had a feeling the two of them would be heading for the gym.  

“Come on, we’re going to the gym,” Bucky grumbled as he got up from the table and headed in the direction Mina and Natasha had went.

When they entered Bucky saw that Mina was in deep concentration mode as she fought Natasha.  It was like how she was with the Dora Milaje. Plus the other woman was a better fighter since she had been doing it longer, and she just didn’t want to take a shot to the head.

Steve and Bucky headed for the corner of the room where they could see the sparring ring perfectly without disturbing the fight by being right there.

The two continued to spar, Mina holding her own pretty well, but Natasha managed to get a shot in and Mina went down.  Natasha looked up at Bucky and asked, “Wanna take her for a spin?”

Mina looked back to where Bucky was sitting, both of them were quiet.  “I’ll fight her,” a new voice called out. Sam walked in wearing a pair of shorts and a form-fitting shirt.  “That is if Mina thinks she can take me,” he smirked.

Mina arched a brow, “I think I can take you, Sam.”

Natasha swung out of the ring and walked over to where Steve and Bucky were.

Same and Mina circled one another for a few minutes before Mina swung at Sam, but he managed to block her with his arm.  She dodged his counter-attack and tried to kick his feet out from underneath him. He jumped up and shot forward, pulling her against his chest, her arms pinned to her sides.

“What are you going to do now?”  He taunted her. Glancing over at Natasha, he saw she was grinning from ear to ear knowing exactly what he was trying to do.  His eyes then landed on Bucky who looked like he was ready to bolt from the room. All of a sudden Mina wasn’t there. Sam released her and jumped backward.  “What the hell?!”

A moment later Sam was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling, Mina appeared above him with a triumphant smile on her face.  “You okay there Sam?”

She held out her hand and helped him stand up.  “That was dirty,” he pointed a finger at her. “You did not disclose that you could turn invisible.”

She grinned, “You never asked what my powers were, so I never told.”

He shook his head, “Again?”

Before she could agree Bucky swung into the ring, “I’ll fight her.”

Mina turned around, “You sure?”  He nodded and Mina glanced back at Sam, “You don’t mind do you?”

“Nah, but I want a rematch later,” he winked at her making her chuckle and shake her on.

“You’re on Sam.” He took Bucky’s seat in the corner and Mina faced Bucky.  “Powers or no?”

He smirked at her, “Thinking of becoming invisible on me?”

“Maybe,” she matched his smirk.  “But I won’t if we bar powers being used.”

“You can use your powers doll, I’m not afraid of the challenge.”

“You’re on,” she said.

The two of them got into position and Bucky came at her first, but she was quicker and managed to duck in time.  She turned invisible and went to the right, trying to circle around him, but he was too quick for her and his fingers brushed her arm as he tried to feel her out.  He looked toward the mat and saw little dips where she was standing. He lunged forward and trapped against his body and the ropes of the ring.

She became visible again, staring up at him in utter shock.  He leaned in and whispered, “Found you, doll.”

He heard her breath hitch and he pulled back to look at her.  He almost couldn’t see the turquoise in her eyes anymore. He backed away quickly, remembering they were not the only ones in the room and that he was trying very hard not to give into temptation.  

Someone began to clap and the two of them turned to see Natasha standing there clapping.  Mina shot her friend a glare while Bucky looked to Steve who was grinning like that damned Cheshire Cat.

“Bravo, you two, highly entertaining,” Natasha said.  “Round two?”

“No,” Bucky said quickly.  “I need to go.” He turned and swung out of the ring before disappearing out the door.

Mina wanted to go after him to see what was wrong.  She was afraid he had strained himself too much, but Natasha came into the ring and asked her if she wanted to keep sparring.  Mina reluctantly agreed, but only because Steve went rushing after Bucky.

 

Mina walked next door to Bucky’s room that evening after she had taken a shower and changed her clothes.  She had spent most of the day exercising and practicing her abilities with Wanda. Bucky had been at the back on her mind all day.

She knocked on the door and waited for him to open up.  When he did he stiffened a little at the sight of her. She gave him a shaky smile, “Hey, you okay?  I was worried about you today.”

“I’m fine,” he replied, stepping aside to let her in.

“Good, I was worried that you had strained yourself too much when we were sparring earlier, and you had reinjured yourself or something.”

“No,” he shook his head.  “I just remembered something that I had to do.”

“Oh,” she took a seat on the edge of his bed as he paced in front of her.  “Bucky is something wrong?” He was acting weird, well weirder than normal.

He looked at her, pausing mid-step, “No, why?”

“You just seem a bit off today that’s all.  I just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”

He was quiet for a moment, “Mina, there’s something that I--”  He blew out a breath. “Nevermind,” he said quickly. “Just forget it.”

She stood up and walked over to him, “What?  Come on, you know you can tell me, I won’t judge.”  Her hand rested on his arm, and she peered up at him with her beautiful eyes, and all he wanted to do was kiss her, but he knew he couldn’t.

“Please leave,” he whispered.  “I want to be alone.”

Mina took a step back, “Bu--”

“Leave!”  He said a bit more harshly.  “I just want to be alone right now Mina, I don’t want you hovering over me.”

She blinked back tears and straightened her spine, “Fine.”  She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

 

A few days went by and Mina didn’t speak to him.  Which killed Bucky. She wouldn’t even return his ‘good morning, doll’ with her sweet smile and shy ‘good morning’.  He missed how flustered she would get when he called her doll, but she had just closed herself off from him. Steve just shook his head and kept his mouth shut.

All the while Bucky had to watch her laugh at jokes Pietro told her, or how she and Sam would try to outdo one another when they trained.  

On the fourth day of Mina not talking to him, they all gathered for a meeting.  Natasha stood up and said, “I have a plan on how we can hopefully learn more about these people and what they want with the vibranium besides building a weapon of mass destruction.  I say we return to Cape Town, we split up into groups. Some of us go to a club while the others comb the city trying to find evidence of their whereabouts.”

“A club?”  Mina asked.  “Why a club?”

“Because they may be bad guys, but people still like to have a good time, and if they’re drinking then they might be more willing to tell us things, spill something they’re not supposed to.”

“It’s a good plan,” Steve said.  “And there’s logic behind it.”

“Who will the teams be?”  Peter asked.

“Okay if there’s a club involved then Peter can’t go,” Mina said.  He groaned. “Sorry kid, but you’re still underage and will definitely stand out.”

“Sam, Pietro, Bucky, Steve, Wanda, Mina, and I will be the ones going to the club,” Natasha announced.  “T’Challa, Peter, Clint, Okoye, Shuri, and Ayo will be combing the streets for possible hideouts.”

“Are you sure I should be going to a club?”  Mina asked. “I should be out there with the others.”

“Nah-uh,” Natasha said.  “You have that siren song you can do to calm people down, if things escalate we need you there with us.”

“Okay, but what about me?”  Bucky asked. “I’m pretty sure my metal arm is going to be a dead giveaway of who I am.”

“Then wear long sleeves,” Natasha suggested.  “You’re coming with us buttercup.”

“When do we leave?” Clint asked.

“Saturday,” she replied.  “So two days from now.”

“I have nothing to wear,” Mina said.  “I don’t do the whole club scene.”

Wanda patted her friend’s arm, “Don’t worry, Nat and I have you covered.  We brought some dresses, you never know when they might come in handy.” That worried Mina a little, but she merely nodded.

They discussed a few more things about the mission like what to do if anyone got into any trouble or if they discovered something.  The ones going to the club would bring their gear along just in case the others needed them.

Shuri and Peter headed to her lab so that she could show him his new and improved suit.  He still didn’t know about it because Shuri had been tinkering with it even more since his arrival, but today was the day that she would reveal it to him.

Mina wanted to go with the two of them, but she was dragged off by Wanda and Natasha after the meeting.  They led her to Natasha’s room where they showed her several options for her outfit on Saturday.

She picked out the least revealing one, but it was still going to be really tight on her.  “What if I have to fight?” She looked between her two friends.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Natasha said.  “Just don’t do any fancy tricks if you can avoid it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm going to burst if these two don't kiss soon, and hey maybe they will..... :D


	13. Chapter 13

Clint invited Mina out so she could show him around Wakanda before the mission.  This shocked her, but she was pleased. She liked Clint and his no-nonsense attitude and how laid back he could be.

They walked together through the streets and he looked at her, “What’s bothering you kid?”

Mina wasn’t used to being the one called ‘kid’ but she liked the term of endearment.  She wondered if this was how Peter felt when she used the nickname with him. “A lot of things, actually,” she said truthfully.  “I’m worried about Saturday. I’m a bookworm, the wallflower, whatever you want to call my introverted self. I don’t do clubs or dancing.  Then to top it all off I haven’t talked to Bucky in four days.”

“And why haven’t you talked to Bucky in four days?”  If he was curious his voice and face didn’t reveal it.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before responding.  “Well we were training the other day and after we fought he left kind of quickly.  I didn’t go after him, I waited until the end of the day and then I checked on him.  He seemed really troubled and he went to tell me something, but stopped himself. I assured him that he could tell me and that I wouldn’t judge him.  He snapped at me and told me to stop hovering over him. So that’s what I’ve been doing, even when he speaks to me first.”

Clint listened carefully, he was always a good listener.  “I’m sure he’s just stressed, and being shot was probably pretty traumatic for him, and he’s just working through that.”

“Probably,” she said.  “I just got really mad because I thought we were friends and I just felt like he could have handled the situation a lot better than he did.”

“You’re right, he could have handled it better, but remember we all have days where we just snap and we don’t mean too.  When we get back you should try talking to him again. Apologize for being distant, and just tell him how you felt and how you still feel.”

“Thank you, Clint,” she said.  “I’ll do that.”

They made their rounds around the city and their last stop was the outdoor food market that Bucky had taken her too during one of her first few days in Wakanda.  They ate on their way back to the palace, both of them quiet as they ate their food.

“Good luck,” Clint said before breaking off to go do whatever it was that Clint did in his free time.

Mina pulled out her map of the castle and saw that Bucky was currently alone in the library.  She was a little relieved that he was on neutral ground and hurried their before anyone else could walk in on them.

He was sitting on one of the couches in the center of the room, a book perched on his lap.  He was actually asleep, soft snores emanating from him. She took a seat beside him and gently nudged him, “Bucky.”

He snapped awake quickly at the sound of her voice.  “Doll?”

She gave him a little smile, relieved that he was still using the nickname.  “Hi,” she said a bit awkwardly.

“Hi,” he responded back.

“I, uh, wanted to apologize for the other day,” she started.  “I shouldn’t have gotten so mad and ignored you like I did.”

“No, no you don’t have to apologize, doll.  It was my fault, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did.”  He reached over and laced his fingers through hers, he was hoping he wasn’t still asleep on the couch in the library.  Feeling the warmth from her hand made him feel calmer. “I was just stressed.”

She squeezed his hand, “It’s okay Bucky, we all get stressed.”

“Do you forgive me?”  He asked.

“Only if you forgive me,” she said.

The two of them smiled at each other.  “Are you nervous for tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” she fidgeted in her seat.  “I don’t dance, I don’t do crowds,” she said honestly.  “They make me anxious.”

“I’ll be right there with you,” he assured her.  “I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“I know,” she moved a bit closer to him.  “And Bucky, whatever was bothering you the other night, just know that whenever you’re ready to tell me what it was that I’ll be here to listen.”

“I know, and I will, one day.  But for right now this just isn’t something I can tell you.”

They talked quietly for a few more minutes until Mina picked up one of the books Bucky had found and began reading it.  They sat there in companionable silence reading until it got dark and Mina couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. And for a second time Bucky picked her up and carried her back to her room.

 

The next morning when Mina woke up in her bed she realized that Bucky had carried her to her room.  Then a lightbulb went off over her head and she realized the other time she had woken up confused in her room that she hadn’t walked there like Bucky had told her, instead he had carried her there.

She couldn’t help the smile that lit up her face.  She buried her face in her hands and let out a delighted squeal like a school girl.  Oh, why did she have to fall asleep?

She got up and dressed quickly, she was going to have some fun with Bucky.

Once she was in the kitchen she discovered that he was in there with a few of the others.  As she walked by she squeezed his arm lightly and whispered, “I know what you did.” He looked down at her with wide eyes.  “ _Both_ times.”  She arched an eyebrow, a smirk on her face, and she walked away quickly saying good morning to Wanda and Pietro.

Bucky just stood there not moving for a good minute.  She had figured out that he had carried her to her room both times she had fallen asleep.  And what was up with that smirk? He felt a little dizzy and he gripped the counter just staring at his food.

“You okay Buck?”  Steve’s voice brought Bucky out of his daze.

“Yeah,” he responded, his eyes darted over to Mina who was acting like she wasn’t paying a bit of attention to him.

She left shortly after that to go get ready with Wanda.  

 

“I need your help,” Mina said as she looked at both Natasha and Wanda.  Her friends stood before her all ready to go for their evening. Mina had on her dress, it was completely black, her back exposed, and it left little to the imagination as it clung to her skin.  Her hair was still down and her face was bare of any makeup. “I-I want to impress Bucky tonight, maybe even confess how I feel.”

“Ugh finally,” Natasha threw herself into one of Mina’s chairs.  “That’s one of the reasons we planned this whole outing so that you two idiots would finally see the light!”

“Wait, what?!”  Mina was startled by Natasha’s admission.  “You mean this isn’t actually for recon?”

“Technically it was a way to kill two birds with one stone,” Wanda said.  “Yes, we are actually doing recon tonight, but we wanted to push Bucky over the edge so that the big idiot would finally open up to you.  And tell you how he feels.”

“So he does actually like me?”  Pieces of the puzzle started clicking into place.

“God yes, Steve’s been trying to get him to confess for weeks now!  But he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you,” Natasha rolled her eyes.  “I call bullshit on that, he’s just scared.” She stood and walked over to Mina and steered her toward a chair and sat her down.  “We’ll take care of everything.”

They did her makeup first and then Wanda started to fuss over Mina’s hair.  “Wait, Bucky likes it when my hair is down.”

“We know,” they both said at the same time.  “We’re doing this for a reason,” Wanda informed her.

Once they were all done they headed toward the Quinjet they were taking to Cape Town.  Bucky froze when he saw Mina and her form-fitting dress, her back exposed. Several of the guys whistled.

“Mina, you clean up nice,” Sam said.

Pietro twirled her around, “I call first dance tonight.”

She laughed, she was now in on the plan and knew that Sam and Pietro were going to try and make Bucky jealous enough that he’d want to dance with her.  “Thank you, you all clean up nicely too.”

T’Challa walked over, “My Little Panther looks all grown up.”  He was in his Black Panther uniform, he and the others that weren’t going to the club looked so out of place among the others that were in their fancier club clothes.

She smiled at him, “Don’t get used to it, as soon as the night is over this thing is coming off and my jeans are going back on.”

When they reached Cape Town they parked close enough to the club in case the others had to come rushing back.  “Good luck,” they all said to one another as they disembarked on their own missions.

Pietro and Sam had Mina wedged between them, Bucky glaring at their backs.  They both had their arms around her and she was making them laugh. “Tonight’s the night you finally tell her how you feel, or else Pietro or Sam might move in,” Steve whispered.

Bucky kept quiet and when they got to the club they got a private booth toward the back.  Mina was pulled onto the dance floor by Natasha and Wanda, the three of them dancing closely together.  Natasha was clocking people that she thought looked too out of place for a place like this. Ones she thought looked like they were carrying weapons.  Wanda was prepared to take them all down at a moment’s notice.

When the song changed Pietro began to dance with Mina, his body pressed close against his.  “He’s fuming right now,” he whispered in her ear.

Mina didn’t dare look over at him even though everything in her was screaming at her to do so.  Next was Sam and she knew he would really send Bucky over the edge. Sam joked with her, making her laugh.  She saw Sam like a brother, and he really knew how to make her feel at ease.

When the song changed she heard someone say, “Can I cut in?”

Sam and Mina looked up to see Bucky standing there.  “Sure man. Save me another dance, Mina.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink as he walked away from her to where the others were on the edge of their seats watching to see what Bucky would do next.

He pulled her so close that there wasn’t space left between them.  Her heart was racing and she was so sure he could feel it. “You’ve been driving me insane all night doll.”  

Her breath caught in her throat, she couldn’t keep it in, “Bucky, I know.  I know that you have feelings for me.”

“Do you now?  Let me guess Natasha told you,” he assumed the spy would be the one to tell her.  He knew the game she was playing.

“Yes,” Mina answered truthfully.  “And I like you too.”

Bucky tugged her hair down, his fingers tangling in the long, black locks.  He seemed to relax as soon as he did so, “So much better.”

She gripped the lapels of his shirt, “Bucky, why did you lie and tell me I walked back to my room that night?”

He leaned down so his forehead was resting on hers.  “Because I didn’t want you to know. Probably for the same reason you didn’t tell me that you had kissed my forehead that night in my recovery room.”  She stiffened slightly, “It’s okay doll, but I wanted to pull you down and kiss you for real. I spilled my guts to you that night. I told you how I felt, but you were asleep and didn’t hear a word.”

Her dream came flooding back to her.  “I did,” she whispered. “I dreamed that you had confessed.  I must have heard you and it translated into my dream.”

“Hmm, if only you had known.”  She nodded and she felt him moving closer, she closed her eyes and tipped her head up a little knowing they were about to kiss.

Their lips were so close to touching and then they both froze as they heard Peter’s voice, “ _Guys, we found them.  Suit up, we need help.”_

Both of them growled.  “Later doll,” Bucky promised, sending shivers down Mina’s spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I imagined Bucky and Mina dancing to would be Heaven by Inna. If you haven't listened to her I highly recommend her music. She's a Romanian singer and she's great. Also sorry for that little cliffhanger of an ending.


	14. Chapter 14

Mina and the others met Peter, Shuri, Clint, T’Challa, Ayo, and Okoye on the roof across from the building where they had found the people that were planning to attack Wakanda for their vibranium.  Most of the building was dark from what Mina could see. There were a few guards making rounds.

“Is that an AR-15?”  Mina asked as she was passed a pair of binoculars to see into the building better.  There was nothing that would suggest that it was an office building like the others surrounding it.  Also, the men didn’t look to be government officials protecting the building from outside forces. They looked like mercenaries.   

“Yep and they have Berettas strapped to their sides,” Natasha confirmed.  “Probably carrying a couple of knives for good measure, maybe even grenades depending on if they want to destroy whatever’s inside if breached.”

Mina handed the binoculars over to Bucky who had been glued to her side from the moment they had left the club.  “How are we getting in?” He asked.

Mina crouched down and surveyed the building looking for the entrance and exit points, “There.”  She pointed to the roof where there was a hatch she could probably work it open with her powers.  “But we’re not all going in. We can’t let them know we’re here. If we do then it could make them desperate.”  She looked up at him, she knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. “I’m going in alone.”

“No,” he said.  “We go in as a team.”

“You all can’t turn invisible and I’m pretty sure we don’t want these people to know we’re onto them.  Plus they might think you’re dead, we need to keep it that way.” She took his hand and looked at him, “I can do this Bucky.  You have to trust me.”

Steve gripped her shoulder, “We’ll be right here, let us know if you need anything.”

She nodded her head and looked back at the building.  “Just like _Mission Impossible,_ ” she mumbled under her breath.  Then she turned to Peter. “I need your webbing.”  Knowing exactly what she meant he shot his webbing over to the other side of the street and held on.  Before she went across she stood on her toes and kissed Bucky’s cheek, “I’ll be right back.”

Natasha handed her a flash drive and told her to use her phone to take photos of anything that wouldn’t go on the flash drive.  Mina slowly shimmied her way across the webbing Peter had done for her, her body turning invisible.

When she reached the other side she let out a little, relieved breath, but knew that the hard part wasn’t over yet.  She had to use her magic to pry the hatch open, and unfortunately you could still see it even when she was invisible, so she would have to rely on her own skills when she was inside.

The hallway she landed in was dark, and she couldn’t hear anyone on this level.  She moved slowly hoping her eyes would adjust to the dimness, some light was entering the building from the street beyond, but not enough to light the hallway well.  She found the stairs and took them down a flight until she reached the floor below.

This floor was brightly lit and had guards making rounds.  They were all silent and stoic as they moved with robot-like precision.  It unnerved her how well-trained people like them were. She slipped past the first guard careful not to make a sound or do anything to alert him of her presence.

He paused, but shook his head and kept moving.  Mina let out a little breath when he disappeared around the corner.

None of the doors were labeled so it was a guessing game for Mina as she opened them and peeked inside.  Most of the rooms were empty, but she did find an office and began looking through it. Unfortunately, she came up empty.

She moved down another flight of stairs and discovered a lab of some sort with a bank of computers against a far wall.  There was a red light causing the room to glow eerily. Mina looked around, but it appeared to be empty. She took her phone out and began taking photos before walking over to the computers and booting one up.

Inserting the flash drive she began downloading the content on the computer hoping to find something good there.  Almost as soon as she was done alarms started to go off, and she realized that she had triggered a safeguard in the computer against people trying to download the files.

She yanked the flash drive out and hurried into the hall.  “This way!” She heard someone shout.

Both sides of the hallway were suddenly crowded with the guards.  She was trapped, there was no way she could make it through without alerting them of her presence, and to top it all off they were slowly moving toward the door she had just come out from.

She whirled around to the windows and knew that this would definitely tell them where she was, and they would most certainly start shooting at her.  It was either be shot at or be captured. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

Her powers flared up and she broke the window directly behind her.  She heard the stunned curses coming from the men and she was out the window.  She was unfortunately several stories up so she had to use her abilities to help her land.  She landed wrong on one of her ankles and yelped in pain.

The men were still above her shouting, some were shooting, but the bullets hit her suit and bounced right off.  She had to thank Shuri later for the upgrade.

She dashed down the street, still invisible.  The deserted street was quiet except for the sounds of guns shooting through the windows trying to find their target.  She was far enough away that the bullets were no longer bouncing off of her, but the next problem was them coming after her and possibly discovering the others.

“Mina!”  She heard Pietro’s familiar voice, and she wanted to sob in relief.

She ducked into an alley and became visible.  “Pietro!” She shouted and he appeared beside her.  

“What did you get yourself into this time?”  He asked with a smirk.

“Just get me out of here,” she huffed as he zoomed off.  They were at the jet moments later, Pietro sitting her gently in one of the seats, Wanda telling Okoye to take off.

Bucky was at her side instantly checking her over, when he got to her injured ankle she hissed in pain.  “Doll?”

“Landed on it wrong,” she informed him.  “It’s just a sprain, it’ll heal in a few days, nothing major.”  She looked up at Shuri, “The suit saved me from a lot of bullets.  Thanks for the upgrade.”

“Of course.  Did you get anything on them?”

Mina pulled out the flash drive and handed it over.  “I triggered the alarms with a dummy file. I wasn’t paying attention, I just wanted out of there as quickly as possible before they figured out that I had broken in.”

Bucky lifted her up and sat down in her seat with her resting on his lap.  He was just so relieved that she was okay. “You scared me,” he whispered. “I saw the window break and I just thought the worse.  Not being able to see you didn’t help.”

She wrapped her arms around him breathing in the smell of his cologne, glad to be out of that situation.  “I had to get out somehow.”

She heard him chuckle, “You definitely know how to make an exit, doll.”

Mina smiled and stayed curled up against him, her eyes falling shut, her ankle throbbing slightly.  When they landed Bucky picked her up and started carrying her toward her room. Wanda promised to bring some medicine and bandages for her ankle.  “For once I was actually awake while you carried me,” she murmured as he laid her on top of her bed.

“Barely,” he grinned at her as he worked to gently remove her shoes.  He could see that her ankle was slightly swollen, but nothing some rest and medicine wouldn’t fix.  “Doll do you think you can get up and change out of your suit? Maybe even shower?”

She pushed herself up onto her elbows, “Maybe, if you help me into the bathroom.”  She stood and he helped her over to her dresser so she could grab something to wear and then into the bathroom where he shut the door behind her.

He stood outside awkwardly, he had never been inside her room for this long before.  It was big like his room and on the coffee table he could see a small stack of movies and some books from the library.  There were clothes from the morning strewn on the floor like she had gotten ready in a hurry. Wanda knocked on the door and came in with a first aid kit.  “Where is she?”

“Bathroom,” he responded as he took the kit from her.  “I figured she’d want to change and take a shower in peace before falling asleep.”

“How is it?”  She leaned against the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.

“It’s swollen, but nothing that won’t heal within a few days.  She just needs to rest it properly.”

“Bucky,” he heard her call out.  “Can you help me?” She appeared in the doorway, her foot hovering over the ground.  “Hey, Wanda.”

“Hey Mina, you feeling better?”

“Much,” she responded.  “Now if I can just get into bed I’d be perfect.”  Bucky walked over and scooped her into his arms, “Whoa, I can still hobble over to the bed.”

He kissed her temple, “Shh, just relax.”

Wanda was definitely going to report back on this.  The others were kind of dying to know if Bucky was going to stay the night with her or not.  She said her goodnights and rushed off to tell the others what she had witnessed. Bucky shook his head, “She’s definitely going to go tell the others what’s going on.”

Mina snorted, “I sometimes think we’re in high school again with the amount of gossip that goes around.”  Bucky had to admit that she wasn’t wrong.

Bucky handed Mina the medicine, and while she took that he wrapped her ankle and put a pillow under it.  “Thank you,” she told him once he was done.

“You’re welcome.”  He sat beside her on the edge of her bed.  “I’m going to go take a shower and change.”

“Are you coming back?”  She asked a bit shyly.

“Only if you want me too,” he responded.

She nodded, “I want you to.”  His heart skipped a beat, and he promised to be back as quickly as he could.  

When he returned and slipped into bed with her, she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his chest.  “Good night doll, try to get some sleep.”

“You too Bucky,” she could feel how fast his heart was racing and she smiled as she shut her eyes and drifted off.

Bucky laid awake for a little while longer watching her sleep.  He ran his fingers through her hair and she smiled, he wondered if she was having a good dream or was still conscious enough to know what he was doing.  He couldn’t really believe that he was here. He had tried so hard to avoid this, but he couldn’t stay away from her any longer.

Seeing her dancing with Sam and Pietro had sent him over the edge.  He didn’t want to lose the chance to be with her and then have to watch her with another man.  And then that very morning when she admitted that she knew he had carried her to bed, that smirk she had sent his way.  She knew how he felt and what was the point of denying it to her?

He didn’t want to lie to her, he didn’t want to hurt her.  So he vowed that he would give this a shot, he would see where this took them.  He trusted her, and he knew that she wouldn’t judge him for his past.

Thoughts were already swirling about what he would do for their first date.  He wanted to do something special, and he knew just want to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no kiss, but hey at least they're together! I couldn't hold out anymore. I couldn't see the two of them not being together past this point.


	15. Chapter 15

Waking up Mina discovered that Bucky was wrapped around her, his chest rising and falling softly.  She smiled and held him a bit tighter. “Bucky,” she said softly. “Wake up.”

He groaned and rubbed his eyes, “What time is it?”  His voice was hoarse from sleep.

“Don’t know,” she responded.  “I just woke up.” 

Bucky rolled his head and looked at the digital clock on the bedside table.  “It’s ten,” he informed her.

“Wow, we must have been more tired than we thought.”  She went to get up, but Bucky tightened his grip on her a little.  “Bucky,” she whined. “I have to eat and use the bathroom and get ready for the day.”

“Nope, you’re staying right here with me,” he said as he placed a light kiss on her neck.  She couldn’t complain, she wanted to stay wrapped up in his arms and let him kiss her all over, but she had things she needed to do.

“James,” she said, trying to be serious, but it came out as more of a breathy laugh.

He kissed her neck again making her shiver.  “You only use my name when you’re frustrated or mad at me.”  Another light kiss, but this time he trailed his lips up to her jaw.  

She tried to keep her voice steady, “Yeah well you’re kissing me, and it’s distracting, and I have to go get ready.”

Bucky went to respond, but there was a banging on Mina’s door.  “Rise and shine you two!” Sam’s voice called through the door. “Don’t make us come in there.”

“I’m going to kill that man one day,” Bucky growled as he frowned.

Mina took his moment of distraction and rolled out of bed, careful not to put too much pressure on her ankle.  “You’re not going to kill Sam,” she rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous because of his relationship with Steve.”  

Bucky was behind her a moment later, his arms wrapped around her waist, tugging her up against his body.  He didn’t think he’d ever get used to this feeling. “I was also jealous of how you were dancing with him and Pietro last night,” he whispered in her ear.

“Oh trust me, I know.  That was the plan. They were trying to get you to admit that you liked me.  Honestly, I was just going to tell you anyway, but I think the boys like riling you up too much.”  It was a past time to see who could rile Bucky up the quickest. Steve didn’t approve, but there was nothing he could do about it.

She managed to untangle his arms from around her waist and walked into her bathroom, Bucky didn’t follow, he wasn’t sure if he should.  Mina peeked around the corner, “You can go change if you want, we can meet in the hall and head to breakfast together.”

He nodded and left the room to go get changed as quickly as possible.  It took Mina longer since she had to go at a slower pace. But when she exited her room into the hall she found Bucky waiting patiently outside her door.  He held out his hand and she took it.

When they reached the kitchen everyone turned to look at them with matching grins on their faces.  “Hey there’s the happy couple, did the two of you have fun last night?” Sam asked with a smirk.

Steve smacked him upside the head, “Be nice.”

Mina shook her head, “As if I’d tell you anything, Sam.”

“Meanie,” he pouted.

Shuri and Peter walked in their heads bent together in concentration as they quietly discussed something over a tablet.  They took a seat at the bar and continued to talk, ignoring everyone in the room. The others looked at one another in curiosity.

Mina picked up a grape and tossed it at Peter’s head.  He looked up, startled when it caught him right between the eyes.  “Hey what was that for?” He frowned at her.

“Would you like to share with the group what the two of you are so intently discussing?”  Mina arched an eyebrow.

Shuri looked up from the tablet and said, “Peter and I have been going over the files that you managed to get from those people last night and it appears they are apart of an organization called Enclave.  It’s run by a group of scientists that the world believes are dead.”

Tension settled over the others.  “Which scientists?” Natasha asked.

“Maris Morlak, Carlo Zota, Wladyslav Shinsky, and Jerome Hamilton,” Shuri informed them.  “They have considerable assets. And it looks like their base of operations is on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean.”

No one liked the sound of that.  “Did you find out what the weapon was that they’re trying to build with the vibranium?”  Steve asked.

Shuri and Peter shook their heads.  “No, but we haven’t gone through all the files yet.  We’ve just mainly been seeing where their bases are and what the uses for each one are,” Peter said.

“I’ll meet the two of you at the lab and we can sift through the files together,” Mina told them.

“I’ll join you,” Bucky added.

When Peter, Shuri, Bucky, and Mina arrived at the lab there were papers and notes everywhere.  Red string was connecting them all. Mina immediately realized that Peter had done this. She looked over the papers and tried to connect the dots, but she couldn’t quite decipher Peter’s thinking method.

Shuri handed Bucky and Mina tablets and split the remaining files between the two of them while Shuri and Peter tried connecting more dots with string and paper.  

They worked in silence for the longest time.  Mina’s eyes skimming over the files and what had been written there.  She was coming up empty, and when she looked over to check on Bucky he had the same frustrated look he did.

He set his tablet down and closed his eyes, running his fingers through his hair.  “Did you find anything?”

She shook her head, “No.  Nothing worth sharing anyways.  I mainly just learned about their bases.”

Voices drifted down from above and Steve appeared with T’Challa at his side.  Both of them paused when they saw the state of disarray that Shuri’s lab was in.  “Do I even want to know?” T’Challa questioned.

“No,” they all chorused.

Steve paused beside Bucky, “Did you at least find anything?”

He shook his head, “Only about their bases located all over the world.  They seem to stay in the one up north, they have goons to do their dirty work for them.”

“Maybe we should hit up those bases,” Peter suggested.  “Start with the smaller ones, see if we can discover anything from them, maybe draw these scientists out of their other facility and go from there.”

“That could work,” Steve said.  “If we agitate them enough.” He turned to T’Challa, “But the only bad thing is they could turn their attention to Wakanda.”

T’Challa was deep in thought for a moment.  “We’re in danger either way, but I would like to keep the heat off of my country if at all possible.”

Steve looked at Mina and Bucky, “Let’s discuss this with the others, and I’ll call Tony to see what he thinks we should do.  We may be heading back to the compound.”

Mina nodded her head, “All right.”  She looked at T’Challa, “If we leave I’m really going to miss it here.”

“The offer still stands Little Panther, you may come back and train with the Dora Milaje and spend time with Shuri anytime you wish.”  He looked at Bucky, “And you are always welcome here with her.”

Bucky and Mina followed Steve and T’Challa out of Shuri’s lab.  Peter wasn’t too happy that they could possibly be leaving Wakanda so soon after he had arrived, but Shuri told him that he could always visit when he had more free time.

“Meet me on the roof of the palace at five,” Bucky whispered, a mischievous grin on his face.

“What are you planning?”  Mina asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Bucky told her.  “I have to move my plans up since it looks like we may be leaving here.  Just don’t come up there until five, okay?”

“All right, all right, I promise that I won’t set foot up there until it’s time.”   

He kissed her cheek, “Great.”  He dashed off to get started with whatever it was that he was planning.

Pietro appeared beside her, “So are you happy?”  He asked as they walked together through the halls.  Wanda was currently on the phone with Vision and Natasha was with Steve talking to Tony.

“Very,” she responded.  “I’m glad that we confessed to one another.  Although it feels… I don’t know weird? Like it didn’t actually happen?  I haven’t really had time to process all this. We’ve been so busy with those files today that we barely talked.”

“It will feel more normal once the craziness dies down,” he told her.  “Just give it time.”

They headed to his room and popped in a movie.  They left the door open and let the others join in if they wanted.  When the clock struck four Mina got up to get ready for whatever Bucky had planned for the evening.

She didn’t know what she should wear.  Natasha popped her head in, “Hey, I heard someone had a date tonight.”

“I do,” she responded.  “But I’m not sure what to wear.  Bucky didn’t really tell me what he was planning.”

“Wear the dress from last night,” she suggested.

Mina’s brows furrowed, “Isn’t that a little too… I don’t know, fancy?”

“Mina, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you and he barely got to see you in it.  Wear the dress.” Natasha found it and tossed it at her. Mina stepped into the bathroom and slipped it on.  When she came back Natasha had found some sandals that would go with it. Since her ankle was still out of commission she would be wearing flats.  “Thanks, Nat.”

“Of course, do you want me to do your hair?”

“Are you going to put it up again?”  Mina asked with a smile.

Natasha shook her head, “No, I think Bucky would track me down if I put your hair up.  I’ll curl it for you that’s all.” While Natasha curled Mina’s hair, Mina worked on her makeup.  She didn’t put a lot on. She was never one that was obsessed with makeup anyway.

“Thank you for your help, Nat,” Mina looked at her friend in the mirror.  “It means a lot.”

“What are friends for?”  She squeezed Mina’s arms and exited the bathroom.  “Have fun tonight, make sure you don’t give the old man a heart attack!”

Mina chuckled and headed out herself after doing one last check.  Her stomach was in knots and she took in a deep breath. She was hoping Bucky didn’t notice how nervous she was.  When the elevator doors closed behind her, she slumped against the wall and took some steadying breaths as she was lifted higher and higher.

The elevator slowed and came to a stop, the doors sliding open.  When she saw was Bucky had done she let out a little gasp. Stepping out she found that it was a garden paradise.  All around her flowers bloomed in the fading sunlight. She recognized tiger lilies, roses, hibiscus, gardenia, and wisteria, but there were some she didn’t know the names too.   Their fragrant scents wafting through the air. Bucky had also set up little candles, all of them lit and flickering in the breeze.

In the center of the rooftop paradise there was a table set up filled with plates of food that he had gotten from the open air market.  Bucky stood at the table looking as nervous as she felt.

When she got closer he walked over and pulled her into his arms.  “So what do you think doll? Did I surprise you?”

She nodded, she was speechless.  Her hands curled into the fabric of his light blue dress shirt.  “It’s beautiful up here,” she whispered.

“I thought we could eat and watch the sunset, followed by dancing.  Since we were so rudely interrupted last night.”

“Poor Peter’s never going to live that down is he?”

“Nope,” Bucky replied.  “I was so close to finally kissing you, and the kid had to go and ruin it.”

She cupped his face with her hand, “I’m kind of glad he did.  At least our first kiss wasn’t in some club surrounded by a bunch of strangers.”

He leaned into her touch, “Hmm, true.”  He pulled her towards the table and helped her into her seat and then took the seat across from her.  He told her the names of the dishes he had gotten for them and told her to take whatever she wanted.

The two of them sat there and enjoyed the meal, the sunset, and the conversation.  She finally told him about the checker incident of ‘09. “I can never beat my dad when we play checkers.  I don’t know how he does it, but every time I think I have him right where I want him, he still winds up beating me!  We were playing one day and I lost for the fourth time in a row, so I flipped the board. Checkers went everywhere and my mom tried not to laugh as I began cursing in Italian.”

Bucky was laughing, “That must have been some sight doll, I’ve seen you riled up before, but never so angry that you would actually flip something and make a mess of things.”

“You better hope you never see me that angry, I hear I’m quite scary.”

“Why do you never use Italian when you’re around us?”  He asked.

She shrugged, “My parents always told me it was rude to speak in another language around people who didn’t know it.  It just kind of stuck with me and I never use it anymore. Plus I was never good at it anyway. Dad would get so frustrated trying to teach me the ins and outs of it all, but gave up and let my mom take over.”

“ _Dovresti usare è di più_ ,” he told her.

“You can speak Italian?”  She gasped. This was one of those hidden things that Bucky hadn’t shared with the others.

“Only some, hell that was probably really bad,” he laughed.  “But if you ever want to use it around me, you are more than welcomed too.”

She smiled at him, “ _Grazie.”_

“Of course doll,” He took her hand and brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

They talked for a few more minutes and then as it began to get darker he stood up and turned on a little speaker.  A slow song Mina didn’t recognize started playing and Bucky pulled her to her feet.

One of his arms was wrapped around her waist while the other held on of her hands.  They slowly swayed to the music and Mina rested her head on his chest. “Thank you for this Bucky.  Tonight was perfect.”

“Anytime doll, I wanted to do something special especially if we weren’t going to be here much longer.”

She looked up at him and said, “We can always come back.  I don’t think T’Challa would deny us entry if we asked.”

“You’re right, he wouldn’t.  He likes you too much.”

Mina cocked her head to the side, “I think T’Challa’s the only one besides Steve and Peter that you don’t get jealous of when I’m around them.”

“Oh no, I get jealous with Steve.  Trust me. T’Challa is in a committed relationship so I’m not worried about him, and then Peter is jail bait.  Everyone else is fair game.”

She grinned at him, “Don’t worry about the others.  Pietro knew I had a crush on you long before I did. Sam sees me as a little sister, and Steve would never risk angering his best friend.”  She looped her arms around his neck, “And you don’t need to be jealous, I’m quite happy with my current suitor.”

He laughed, she would never get tired of hearing it, or how his eyes crinkled at the corners.  He looked so carefree and that’s all she wanted for him. She didn’t want him to be weighed down by his past or dwell on all that he did when HYDRA had control of his mind.  She wanted to keep this Bucky around, but she knew that he would have his bad days just like everyone else.

“Yeah, I’m happy with my girl too.”  He dipped her. “She’s got spirit, and the best hair.”

It was Mina’s turn to laugh, “What is it with you and my hair?”

“It’s so soft doll, I love the way it feels.”  He grinned at her and brought her back up so they were vertical again.  “I also love your eyes and your laugh. Your inquisitive mind. You made it so hard not to spend time with you.”

“Promise me that you’ll never shut me out,” she said in a more serious tone.  “No matter how hard something may be or how ashamed it may make you feel, please don’t shut me out.”

“I promise,” he kissed her forehead.  “I trust you.”

“Good, because I trust you too.”  She brought his head down and kissed him.  She couldn’t take it anymore, the smell of his cologne, the way the candles were casting a romantic glow over everything.  Having been thinking about that interruption the night before.

Bucky kissed her back with fervor, her lips were just as soft as he had imagined they’d be.  Her body was pressed firmly against his, his hands digging into the fabric of her dress. She gently nipped his lower lip with her teeth and he sat her on the table.

Her hands were hovering over the buttons of his shirt while his were in her hair.  They pulled apart, their lips swollen. Mina could barely see the blue in his eyes.  Their breathing was heavy. He pushed some hair out of her face, his fingers brushing the smooth skin of her cheek.  “So glad we waited.”

“Me too,” she said before he bent back down and captured her lips with his again.  “Bedroom,” she murmured in between kisses.

He didn’t need to be told twice as he picked her up and carried her toward the elevator to take them down to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a little carried away with this chapter. It is waaaay longer than any of the previous ones, but I just couldn't stop. Probably not going to write the scenes showing what they did when they got back to Mina's room (not quite comfortable writing it, but it is definitely going to be implied that the two of them slept together). But we can all let out a sigh of relief because they finally kissed.  
> Dovresti usare è di più = You should use it more. (I am learning Italian so if this is wrong I'm sorry)


	16. Chapter 16

Bucky woke up before Mina, she was lying on her stomach with her back exposed.  Bucky propped himself up on his elbow and trailed his fingers down her back in lazy motions.  Mina groaned, but didn’t move or wake up. Bucky bent down and kissed one of her shoulder blades.  He looked at her face and could see a small smile forming.  “Stop pretending to be asleep,” he teased.

She propped herself up and looked over at him.  Her hair was mussed and tangled, she had bruises scattered on her throat and chest.  He may have gotten a little too carried away last night. “I wasn’t pretending, I had just woken up FYI.”

“Mmm-hm, I really believe that.”  He pecked her on the lips. “Did you sleep all right?”

“I slept like a bump on a log,” she informed him.  “Someone tired me out last night.” His cheeks heated and she straddled his lap, locking her arms around his neck.  “It was fun.”

He placed a kiss in the crook of her neck, “I’m sorry about all the bruises.  I think I went overboard.”

She pointed out several she had made on him, “I think we both did.”  Their embarrassed laughter filled the room. “You know the others are going to tease us relentlessly about this right?”

“I don’t think they’d have it any other way.  I think the only one that won’t is Clint.”

“Probably,” she replied.  “He seems least likely among them to actually tease us.”  She slipped off his lap and padded over to the bathroom. She could walk on her ankle with minimal pain.  “You coming James,” she called over her shoulder. Bucky sucked in a breath and chased after her.

At breakfast, Pietro was the first to notice the hickeys scattered over their skin.  He kept quiet wanting to see how long it would take the others to notice them as well.  It took about five minutes, Peter was the one that drew everyone’s attention to the bruises.

“Out!”  Mina shooed him away, horrified that her seventeen-year-old friend and colleague had seen the hickeys and knew what she and Bucky had done the evening before.  “Tell Tony we’re not recruiting kids anymore.”

T’Challa came into the kitchen, noticed the bruises, and said nothing.  He turned to Steve, “What is the verdict? Are you all going to be heading back to New York?”

“Tony wants us back at the compound.  We’ll do more research from there and contact you with any new leads and details,” Steve informed him.  “We leave tomorrow.”

Mina was sad to be leaving, but she was a little glad she would be heading back home to New York.  She wanted to visit her parents and tell them all about Wakanda and the things she had seen and eaten while she was there.

Steve gave everyone the day off to spend how they liked.  They all decided that it was best if they spent it together and traveled the city.  T’Challa joined them saying that he could put off his duties until later.

As they walked through the city T’Challa pointed out buildings and landmarks and told them stories of his childhood here, and how he used to take Shuri around when she became old enough to travel past the palace.

They ate at the outdoor market one last time.  Bucky telling the vendor he had spoken to weeks before that he would be leaving tomorrow and that he would come back the first chance he got.  The man told him goodbye and wished him good luck on his journey.

The evening came and Mina made dinner for them all with the help of Bucky.  Everyone was tired as they all clamored to bed after dinner. Wishing each other a good night’s rest and that they would see them in the morning.

Mina collapsed onto the bed with a soft groan, “Good night, Bucky.”

“Good night, doll,” he kissed her temple and pulled the covers up over both of them.

 

Tony, Vision, Bruce, Stephen, and Scott greeted them.  Sam greeted Scott with his usual, “‘Sup Tic Tac?”, while the others greeted each other with hellos and familiar greetings.  They all headed indoors to their rooms to unpack and shower after their journey.

Bucky arrived at Mina’s room and fell back onto her bed, he could hear the shower running and Mina singing softly in Italian.  He listened to her and closed his eyes just relaxing against her bed, inhaling her scent.

“Jesus, Bucky!”  Mina jumped when she saw him lying on her bed with his eyes closed.  “You scared me.”

He sat up and grinned sheepishly at her, “Sorry, I just didn’t want to interrupt the concert you were giving.”

She bent down and kissed him, “I probably would have stopped if I knew you were in here.”  She clutched her towel a bit tighter and headed for her closet. Bucky watched her walk away, wishing she’d drop the towel.  She shut her closet door behind her and got dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a sweater. It was cooler in New York than it was in Wakanda, Mina was already missing the heat.

“Where are you planning on going doll?”

“To see my parents now that I’m back.”  She stood in front of him and he rested his hands on her hips.  “I wanted to tell them about my visit to Wakanda.”

“Are you going to tell them about me?”  He was a little worried about how her parents might feel about her being with him.

She rested her hands on his shoulders and smiled down, “Is someone worried about how my parents will react to the news that I’m dating?”  He nodded. “Don’t worry Bucky, my parents will love you. But I don’t have to tell them yet. I was actually going to talk to you about that.  I know this is still new, very new. So I won’t do anything that you’re uncomfortable with.”

“I don’t want you to keep something from them,” he told her.  “If you want to tell them you can, but I’ll leave that up to you.”

“We’ll see how the evening goes,” she told him.  “If I think they’ll take the news well I’ll tell them, if not we can wait.”  The two of him headed for her car and he opened her door for. “Such a gentleman,” she said before he closed her door.  “I’ll let you know when I leave.”

“See you later, doll.”  He shut her door and watched as she drove off.

Mina arrived at her parents’ restaurant an hour later with a smile on her face.  Her mom came rushing out from behind the counter and hugged her daughter tightly.  “Ah you’re home!” Alia Gaspari was taller than her daughter, but not by much and she sported the same turquoise eyes.  Sometimes Mina wondered if her mother had the same abilities she did, they just never manifested.

Marcus Gaspari came out from the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her as well.  “You don’t know how happy I am to see you, Mina,” he squeezed her tightly before pulling her over to one of the booths.  

Mina waved at the waitstaff and the cooks in the kitchen when they peered out.  “How was Wakanda?” Her mother asked.

“It was amazing Mom, T’Challa is so nice and I loved his sister, Shuri.  They even told me I could come back anytime I wished.” She told them about the open air market, Shuri’s lab, the library.  “I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” she told them.

Her mother watched her daughter with interest, “Who is he?”

Mina stared at her mother wide-eyed, “Who’s who?”

“The boy you are seeing.  You have that same goofy grin on your face the day you came home from school after that boy you liked had asked you out.  Now spill.”

“Ah Alia, leave her alone.  I’m sure there is no boy.” Marcus still liked to think of Mina as his little girl.

“Look at how red she is, Marcus!  Of course she is seeing someone. Now tell me who is the lucky fellow?  Is he Wakandan?”

Mina hadn’t planned on doing this, but she should have known that her mother would be able to tell something was different.  “His name is James Buchanan Barnes, and he works with me at the compound.”

Her parents were silent.  “The Winter Soldier?” Her dad asked.

Mina fidgeted in her seat, she worried that this might happen.  “He’s not the Winter Soldier anymore, Dad. He’s just Bucky now.  The same Bucky we read about in the Smithsonian that time we took a family vacation to D.C..”

“No,” her father replied.  “You cannot date him.”

“Dad!”  Mina said.  “I’m twenty-four, not sixteen.  I can make my own choices. He’s a good man, you should meet him.”

Alia looked at her husband, “She’s right.  We should at least meet him. I’m sure the Avengers wouldn’t let him be around them if he was still the Winter Soldier.”

“I don’t like this,”  her father stated. “I don’t like him.”

Mina’s temper flared, “You don’t know him.”

“I know enough.”

Mina closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.  “I will invite you all to the compound for dinner one day.  That way you can see the place, meet my friends and colleagues, and meet Bucky.  Then you can judge whether or not you like him. But that still isn’t going to change how I feel about him.”

Dinner was brought out, but it was awkward.  Mina and her mother did the majority of the talking.  Alia was curious about Wakanda, and Mina told her she would ask T’Challa if she could bring them one day.  She told them that he wanted to try her father’s cooking.

When dinner was done Mina shot a text to Bucky telling him she would be leaving soon.  She said goodbye to her parents. “Please don’t judge him before you know him,” she whispered in her father’s ear and headed out.

She reached the compound in record time and stormed inside still a little peeved at how her father had taken the news about her and Bucky.  He was standing in the driveway with a smile on his face, but then he saw her frown and it slipped from his face.

“Is everything okay?”  He asked cautiously.

“My parents found out.  My mother is perceptive, she knew  I was seeing someone. Apparently, I had a goofy grin on my face, and she asked who I was seeing.  I told them it was you and things got quiet. My father doesn’t like the idea of me seeing ‘the Winter Soldier’.”

Bucky stood there quietly, “Mina--”

“No, I’m not going to let my father’s judgment of you stop me from seeing you.  He will come around. He just knows what the world thought of you when you were the notorious assassin.”  She took his hand. “I’ll set up dinner one night so they can meet you. I’ll have them come here so they can meet the others as well.  Maybe they’ll be better behaved.”

“Mina, I don’t want to cause problems.”

“You’re not,” she said harshly.  “Bucky, please just drop it. It’s fine, he’ll come around.”

He pulled her into his arms when he saw the tears in her eyes.  “I’m right here, doll. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” she squeezed him.  “Because if you did then I’d have to hunt you down and kick your ass.”

He smiled, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  He led her back to her room and put in her favorite movie so she could unwind.  About halfway through she started snoring slightly and Bucky shut the movie off and covered her up with her blanket.  He had an idea, and he knew she wasn’t going to approve when she found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's Bucky going to do now?


	17. Chapter 17

Bucky didn’t tell anyone where he was going the next day, he didn’t want them to know.  Mina was too busy training with Wanda and working out her frustrations from the previous night to even realize he was gone.  Steve came with him, knowing exactly what his best friend was going to do the moment Bucky told him about Mina’s night at home.  

“If I can be of any help you know I’ll vouch for you,” Steve had told him.  He didn’t like the idea of Mina being on the outs with her family either, he knew how much they meant to her.

They hopped into Steve’s car and headed to  _ Little Slice of Napoli _ , the pizzeria that Mina’s parents owned.  When they pulled into a parking space Bucky’s stomach was in knots.  He shouldn’t have come here without telling Mina, he was afraid of how she might react when she found out.  But he hated the thought of her being on the outs with her dad. He knew how much he meant to her.

Steve got out first and headed inside with Bucky trailing behind him.  Alia Gaspari was the one to notice the pair as the little bell rang on the door.  Bucky was shocked at how much Mina looked like her mother. “Marcus,” the older woman called out.  “Could you come here for a moment?”

“What is it, Alia?  We’re getting ready for the lunch rush,” Marcus stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who had arrived at their shop.  “Did she send you here?”

Bucky shook his head, “No, she doesn’t even know that I’m not at the compound.  She told me about last night and I didn’t want the two of you to be on the outs.  She loves you so much. She told me stories about you while we were in Wakanda.”

Marcus sighed, “My little Mina has always been such a free spirit.  Stubborn as a mule. The more you told her she couldn’t do something the more she wanted to do it.”  He gestured for the two of them to take a seat. “She looked up to you so much. She bought the book about you and the Howling Commandos.  For a week you were all she could talk about. She even wrote a history report on you.”

Bucky knew she had looked up to him, but not this much.  “Did she not tell you?” Alia asked as she took the seat next to her husband.

“I knew she looked up to me, I just didn’t realize how much.”

“Before she discovered her abilities she considered joining the military.  Scared her mother and I do death, but I got sick and we needed help around here so she stayed.  Then she discovered her abilities and joined the Avengers, getting her wish of fighting to protect those who couldn’t defend themselves.”  He looked at Steve, “She looked up to the both of you. She couldn’t stand bullies.”

Steve smiled, “It’s one reason why I recruited her and trained her.  She wasn’t going to let anyone harm those around her, especially the ones she loves.”

Marcus nodded his head and looked back at Bucky, “I was afraid that if she fell for you she may wind up getting hurt.  Not just because of your past and what HYDRA made you do as the Winter Soldier, but because of how dangerous your job can be.” 

“I worry about that too,” Bucky admitted.  “It’s one reason why I tried to stay away from her.”

Alia smiled, “But she just has a way of pulling you in doesn’t she?  People have always been like that, no one could dislike her, she’s just not that kind of soul.”

“I don’t want to come between you and your daughter,” Bucky said.  “It kills me that she even came back frustrated last night, that she’s still frustrated.  So I will step back if you all aren’t comfortable with this.”

“Mina would never forgive me,” Marcus said.  “No, you are a good man. I can see it in your eyes.  Eyes are the windows to the soul, and I can see how much you care for my little girl.  She has my blessing.”

“Would you like to come back with us?  I’m sure Mina would love to see you and get this whole issue resolved.  We’ll drive you there,” Steve offered.

“We’d love that,” Alia said.

 

Mina kicked the dummy in its side, her brows knit together in frustration and concentration.  “How could he act like I’m a lovesick teenager? I’ve never had poor taste in men before. And Bucky’s a good guy,” Mina said to Wanda as she continued to kick and punch the crap out of the dummy in front of her.

“They’re just worried is all,” Wanda said.  “They don’t know Bucky know. Just give them a chance to come around.”

Mina kicked the dummy so hard it flew backward.  She had accidentally used her magic with the kick which caused the dummy to fly backward.  “Oops,” she grinned sheepishly at Wanda.

Wanda let out a breath, “Maybe we should take a break.”

“Probably,” Mina said.  She walked over to the bench where Wanda was sitting and took a swig from her water bottle.  “All was going well too. Now I got Bucky worried that my parents will never approve and that my relationship with him will effectively kill my relationship with my parents.”

“Try not to stress too much, this is still a new idea to your parents.  How long has it been since you had a serious relationship?”

“Too long,” Mina answered.  “The last guy I dated was right before the attack on New York and after I discovered my powers I dumped him.”

“Just give everyone time to adjust.”

Mina rested her head on Wanda’s shoulder, “You’re such a good friend Wanda.”

Mina went back to training after taking a few more gulps of water only to be interrupted by F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice on the intercom.  “Miss Gaspari, you have visitors.”

“Who?”  She asked in confusion.

“I have been instructed not to tell you,” F.R.I.D.A.Y responded.

Mina and Wanda both left the gym and to the living area where she discovered her parents standing with Bucky and Steve.  “What are you guys doing here?” She stood rooted to the spot, too shocked to move.

“Bucky came to see us,” her father said.  Mina looked over at Bucky, who gave her a wink.  “He told us that he didn’t want to come between us, that he cared too much about you to let your relationship with him get in the way.”  Marcus moved closer to his daughter. “Even though I am still not a hundred percent on board with this, you have my blessing. He is a good man, and he will take care of you.”

Mina was quiet for a long time and then said, “And you’re still not a hundred percent forgiven.”

Marcus smiled at his daughter, “Ah, there she is.  Of course, I should not have acted that way the night before.  Part of me will always worry about you no matter how old you get.  But I know that I can’t make decisions for you. And I have to trust you, even when I don’t like a decision you make.”

Mina rushed over and hugged her dad, “Thank you.”

“Of course, Little One.”

Bucky was relieved that things seemed to be better between them now.  “Are they always like this?” He whispered to Alia.

“Yes,” she said back.  “The two of them are so much alike.  But don’t worry things will be better from now on.”

Mina dashed off to her room to take a shower and the others filtered in to see who the new guests were. 

Her parents were excited to meet the other member of Mina’s team.  They had met Wanda, Pietro, and Peter before, but they hadn’t met Tony or some of the others.  Marcus offered to cook for the team, but Tony refused telling them that they were guests. He ordered from a local restaurant and went to pick up the food.

Tony and the others set the dining room up and offered up the seats of honor for their guests.  Over dinner they shared wine and stories. Mina’s parents sharing stories of her when she was younger, and embarrassing their daughter.

Bucky watched Mina’s smile, and her heated cheeks as her father told the story about how she had run through the halls of their building completely nude one day.  Mina was telling her father to stop, but she was laughing so hard that no one could understand her.

As the night came to an end Steve offered to drive them back to their home.  Mina hugged her parents and told them she would try to visit soon and this time she would bring Bucky along with her.

She and Bucky stood in the doorway, hand in hand, watching Steve drive away with them.  She looked up at him, “Thank you.”

“Of course, they’re your family.  I couldn’t come between that.”

“I still can’t believe you and Steve drove all the way there without me knowing.”  The two of them headed back inside and down the hall toward her room. “Did you have this all planned out?”

“Kind of,” he admitted.  “I know that they’re still not a hundred percent on board with me, but I just needed them to meet me, to have Steve there with me.  To fix something that shouldn’t have been broken in the first place.”

“My father’s and I’s relationship would have been fine,” she informed him.  “Not even a guy could come between us. We have our moments like this. Things get heated, we argue, then we make up.”  She shrugged, “It’s how it’s always been. Ma says it’s because of how similar we are. Neither of us wants to admit it when we’re wrong.”

“Are you mad that I interfered?”

She gave him a confused look, “Why would I be mad?  You were worried about me, you know how important family is to me.  Why would that make me mad?”

“I just worried that since I didn’t tell you and randomly showed up at your parents’ shop that you might get a little peeved at the interference.”

Mina kissed his cheek, “Not this time Bucky.  You’re a good man, I know you were just trying to do what was right.  And to be honest I think I needed this with my parents. Having them come here, have them meet you and the others.  I still think that this is all a little hard for them, they support me sure, but it’s still worrisome for them. Now that they’ve met the team they know I have good people behind me that will make sure they have my back.”

“You look like your mom,” he told her after a moment of silence.

“Everyone says that,” she chuckled.  “Dad always said that it was good I looked like Ma because he was too ugly to have such a beautiful daughter.  Mom always smacks him in the back of the head and tells him that he had at least three other women chasing him way back when.”

They curled up underneath the covers, “People say I look like my dad, or at least they did.”  This was the first time Bucky had brought up his parents in a while. “I never really saw it, but looking back on it now I guess I can.”

“Have you visited their graves since coming back from the dead in a sense?”

Bucky took in a deep breath, “Not yet, I haven’t been ready to face that yet since everything calmed down.”

Mina ran her fingers through his hair, “If you ever want to go, and you want me to go with you, just say the word and I’m there.”

“Thank you, Mina.”  He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.  The two of them didn’t say much else after that, they just laid there in silence until they were asleep.

“Barnes, Gaspari, we need you right now,” Tony’s voice boomed over the intercom.  “T’Challa just called, something’s going down.” The two of them shot out of bed and hurried to the war room to see what was going on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to resolve the issue with her parents kind of quickly because this first part of this serious is going to be wrapping up soonish and I just didn't want it to be a big part of the story since her parents aren't going to be main characters or even characters that we see often. Her dad still isn't a hundred percent on board, and there will probably be issues down the road, but for right now he knows that his daughter is happy and that's all he wants for her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mentions of how Mina's mother thought she was going to lose Mina when she was pregnant. There were complications, unknown at this time. I didn't go into a lot of detail, but you discover this at the end of the chapter.

T’Challa’s face greeted Mina and Bucky when they reached the war room located in the basement of the building.  He didn’t look pleased, he also looked like he had gotten no sleep. “What happened?”  Steve asked once everyone had assembled in the room.

“The men that we apprehended when Mina and Bucky were here managed to escape.  They used a serum hidden in a fake tooth to momentarily turn them into a super soldier like you and Bucky.”  Everyone in the room froze. “The effects only lasted them long enough to break free and escape Wakanda. We managed to track one of them down after he had been shot with one of our weapons.  He’s back in custody.”

“Do we need to come back?”  Bucky asked.

“No, we’re all right for now.  We can handle ourselves. I wanted to alert you of the latest development, and warn you of what could happen.  These men, these scientists, may try to harm you.”

“We’ll be ready for them,” Tony said.  “If the serum doesn’t last long then they’ll be no match for us.”

Mina shook her head, “What if that was just an emergency dosage though, something they could use when the time was right to escape?  What if those men wanted to be captured by us?”

“Then we need to proceed with extreme caution,” Bucky said.  “They’re trying to recreate what HYDRA started. That’s not going to be easy, especially if these super soldiers are anything like the ones they created after me.”

Mina took his hand and gave it a squeeze.  “We won’t let that happen.”

“I think we need to move up our timeline on when we want to hit their bases,” Natasha said.  “If this is just the beginning we need more information and how to best put an end to them before they get too out of control.”

“Where do we even begin?”  Mina asked. “They have bases scattered all over the globe.”

“We start with the one that’s stateside,” Steve said.  “We’re here, it’ll be the easiest one we can get too.”

The others agreed with him.  T’Challa wished them luck and told him he would call if he managed to get any more information out of the man, or something else happened.  Tony pulled up a map of the location that the base was in. It was located in the middle of nowhere Virginia surrounded by woods. There was only one road leading into it.

There were two exit points for the building and a free-standing garage.  Guards were on a constant guard shift circling the entire perimeter of the building. It was going to be hard getting past them, especially when the shift changes seemed to be well executed.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. are there any weaknesses to this building?”  Tony asked as they continued to look over the floor plan and outside design.

“Not that I can find, there are barely any windows, and only two doors that the guards and other workers can come in and out of.  That does not mean there couldn’t be an underground tunnel leading in and out in case of an attack or a hurried escape.”

Everyone turned to Scott, “Let me guess, you want me to go do recon to see if I can find a secret way in.”

“That’s right tic-tac,” Sam said with a grin.  “You get to find our entry point.”

“Give me a few days, and I’ll get back to you.  In the meantime keep me in the loop if you find another way in.”  He turned and exited the war room to go pack for his solo mission.

Mina was still a little baffled by the men and their escape.  “Why not do it when we were all there? They couldn’t have taken us on.”

“Well the serum didn’t last long,” Steve said.  “Maybe the more physical energy they exert the less time they have being super soldiers.  It could be a trial run to see how the serum holds up.”

“I don’t like this,” Wanda said.  “Something just feels off.”

“I’m with Wanda,” Mina agreed.  “This just seems too easy.”

“Well it’s the best lead we’ve got so we’re going to follow through,” Tony said.  “I’m going to go prep Scott for his trip and tell him what to do if he gets into trouble while we’re not there.”

 

Three days later Scott messaged them saying that he had found a tunnel.  “It doesn’t look like it’s been used in some time, so they probably only use it for emergencies.  But it’s well guarded. The guards are hidden on the outside and then of course two on the inside.”

Everyone looked at Tony to see what he was going to say.  “We leave in two hours, suit up and meet at the Quinjet.”

Everyone broke off to their rooms to get ready for the mission.  Bucky met Mina outside her room and the two of them walked to the Quinjet together.  Tony, Steve, and Natasha were all there and waiting. Pietro showed up next along with Vision and Wanda.  They huddled into the Quinjet and went to meet Scott a few miles away from the tunnel’s entrance.  Mina and Wanda would go in first and distract the guards so that the large group wouldn’t attract too much attention right off the bat.

“I calm them down and you slip into their minds,” Mina said as her and Wanda moved through the undergrowth and the trees.  “Piece of cake.”

The two of them stopped when they saw the two guards stationed there.  “Scott, when was the last shift change?” Wanda whispered into her earpiece.

“Thirty minutes ago, there’s still plenty of time before shift changes,” came his response.

“Let’s go,” Wanda whispered.

The two of them stepped into the small clearing, the guards suddenly on high alert.  Mina gave them a smile, “Lower the guns boys, we’re not going to hurt you.” Power rolled off of Mina in waves as Wanda slowly rounded on the first man, her eyes glowing an eerie red.  “We’re just a little lost.” The first man made a grunting noise and as the second one turned to look at him Mina was on him in a second forcing him to look at her. “Pay attention to me, soldier, your friend is fine.”

Wanda came up behind the man that Mina was distracting and worked her magic on them.  “We’re clear.”

Mina stepped away from the man, a glassy look in his eyes.  Mina was shaking slightly, and she jumped when she felt a hand on the small of her back.  She looked up and saw Bucky looking down at her worriedly. “You okay?” He whispered.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

Tony pried the door open and Natasha hopped down first.  “Clear,” she hollered up at them.

The others followed suit and soon they were all enclosed in the dark tunnel.  “Mina, some light please.” Her hand flared with the turquoise flames, “Thank you.”  She nodded and led the way down the tunnel until they reached the door where Scott was waiting for them.

“‘Bout time you all showed up,” he joked.

“How are we getting through without alerting the guards on the other side?”  Clint asked.

“Easy, I already took them out,” Scott informed them.  “Hid them in the supply closet.”

Mina pushed open the door and looked down the hallway.  It was empty, the whole building quiet. She motioned for the others to come out.  They split into two groups and began their search for anything useful.

The base was small, but it was a labyrinth of hallways and doors.  At one point a door opened and before the man knew what was happening Mina knocked him out and dragged him back into the room he had come out of.

Inside she discovered a lab.  There were filing cabinets and computers scattered throughout the room.  A doctor’s work table in the center. “Search the files,” she instructed.  “See what kind of experiments they’re doing here.”

Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Pietro all began thumbing through the files.  Most of them looked like they were files on all the failed super soldier serums.  They had been trying to perfect it for a while.

“This has got to be the base where they keep all their failed experiments,” Sam said.  “Every file I’ve come across from human experimentation to weapons has been a failure.”

Mina walked over to the table, “Then why would this be here?”  She looked at the others. “The guards here must all have the serum as well.  A doctor must put the tooth or teeth in with the serum. It makes sense so that the men don’t have to go from one base to the next unless absolutely necessary.”

“Guys,” Natasha’s voice filled their ears.  “They have files on Mina. They’ve been watching her since before the battle of New York.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at Mina.  Her chest began to feel tight, “But why? I didn’t even know about my powers before the battle.”

“Grab the files,” Steve informed Natasha.  “We can figure that mystery out later.”

Mina felt like she was going to be sick, and Bucky was beside her in an instant.  She gripped his suit trying desperately to stay on her feet. “How could they have known about me?”

“I don’t know doll, but we’ll figure it out.”

“Hello, Avengers,” a thickly accented voice said over the intercoms.  Everyone froze. “Thank you all for joining us. Especially the two original super soldiers.  So nice to finally meet you, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes. And Miss Gaspari, it’s been too long.”

“Who-who are you?”  Her voice shook.

“Your creator, Wladyslav Shinsky.  Of course, I don’t blame you for not remembering me, you were just a little baby when I began experimentation on you.  In fact, you were still in your mother’s womb.”

Mina’s breathing became ragged.  “What?” She wasn’t sure the voice, this Wladslav, would have even heard her.

“Yes, I was the doctor that looked over you while your mother was pregnant.  She came to me because she didn’t think you were going to survive, all the doctors had told her so.  And I needed a baby that I could experiment on, that could possibly die anyway. A healthy baby dying?  That would raise too many questions. I made you stronger, I gave you your abilities. Wonderful aren’t they my Siren Song?  You haven’t even reached your true potential. Able to charm anyone, take over the world. Come home to me, my Siren Song. Your abilities are wasted with these heroes.”

Mina couldn’t breathe.  “Bucky,” she whimpered.

“I’m right here,” he whispered against her ear.  He wanted to rip Wladslav’s heart right out of his chest.  “I won’t let them take you.”

“Really Winter Soldier?  Do you really believe that you can protect her?”  There was chuckling. “Be my guest, but she will only be your downfall.  Oh, how easily you feel for her. If someone as cold-hearted as you could fall so easily then she’s even better than I thought she would be.”

“Shut up!”  Mina screamed.

“You care deeply for him don’t you, my Siren Song?”  There was a sigh, “I always knew there could be downsides to this, but don’t worry once you are back with me my darling, I will wipe James Buchanan Barnes from your mind.”

“I would rather die than be your puppet,” she spat.

“I’m afraid I can’t let that happen.  My men have orders to take you alive. Your friends, however, are to be shot on sight.”

On the other side of the door the others could hear the sounds of fire fighting begin.  “We need to get out of here,” Steve said. He turned to Pietro. “Get Mina as far away as possible.  Don’t stop and don’t come back.”

“What?  No!” She said.  “I need to stay here and help you fight.”

“No,” Bucky said, though it pained him.  “They want you, and right now the best thing to do is get you as far away as we can.”  He leaned down and kissed her. He rested his forehead on hers, “I’ll come get you when this is all over, doll.”

Pietro picked Mina up, pulling her away from Bucky.  “Pietro! Put me down!” He didn’t listen and a moment later he disappeared out of the room.

Bucky gripped his gun a little tighter.  “Let’s go, the others need us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let you know that I'm creating a new work for the After Effects series called After Effects Extras. They'll be short little stories that I either couldn't find a way to fit into a story or maybe a scene from another characters' POV. I'll be posting that today, so keep an eye out for that.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mina struggles with the idea that she could have never been born.

As soon as Pietro stopped running Mina tumbled out of his arms and pushed him away.  “How could you?!” She screamed at him. “They needed our help!”

A pained look passed over Pietro's face.  “Mina, please. They were right, that Wladyslav guy clearly wanted you.  You were a priority, trust the others. They can make it out. Bucky will come back for you.”

“Our friends need our help!  Your own sister is back there!”

“I know!”  He yelled at her.  She was surprised at the intensity in his voice.  He took a breath and composed himself, “I know that Mina, and I’m worried about all of them just the same as you are.  But if what he says is true then you could be the weapon that they were working on. Why they wanted to steal the vibranium.  He was right when he said we don’t know about your abilities, what you’re potential is. But if he can brainwash you and make those powers emerge then that’s not going to be good for anyone.  Do you think we all would want to hunt you down and possibly have to kill you if things went wrong?”

Mina fell to her knees and began to sob.  “I don’t know what to do.” Pietro came to kneel in front of her.  “Maybe I should just leave and protect everyone else from me. I could go to Wakanda and hide out there like Bucky did.  T’Challa would help protect me.”

“Do you really think running from your problems is the best solution?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head, “No.”

The two of them lapsed into silence waiting for any signs that their friends were all right, that they had all made it out of their alive and unharmed.

“Pietro?  Mina?” Steve’s voice came over their communication devices.  “Are you all there?”

“Steve?”  Mina’s voice broke.  “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No, we’re fine, just need some medical attention.  We managed to get out of there. They blew the building up.  We managed to salvage some of the files on you, but some were lost.  Knowing these scientists though they probably have backups.”

“How’s Bucky?”  Her voice quivered a little.  

“He’s on his way to your location now.  We’ll meet up in the city twenty miles west of where you are.  Just hang in there Mina.” Then Steve disappeared.

Bucky arrived an hour later and Mina couldn’t have been more relieved.  There was a cut below his right eye, but it had already started to heal, and he was breathing funny, probably from a broken rib or two.  He looked relieved when he saw Mina sitting on the ground unharmed. She rushed over to him and started asking him all kinds of questions.

“Not right now doll, wait until we’re back on the Quinjet.”  Mina helped support Bucky along with Pietro. She scolded him for not going with the others and just telling her where to go, but he insisted that he was all right, just a little tired from all the fighting.

They reached the Quinjet unscathed and Mina looked over Bucky’s wounds as they traveled back to the compound.  “You should have sent Steve,” she said as she cleaned some of the blood off his suit. It wasn’t his and she wondered who was the unlucky bastard that had decided to tangle with the former Winter Soldier.

“I told you that I would come and get you,” he told her.  “You know, you’re worse than Steve.” She poked him in the ribs, “Doll!  Ow!”

“You’re injured James Buchanan Barnes, your health is important.”  She frowned at him as she continued to wipe away the blood. “And guess what?  You get to sleep in your own room tonight. By. Yourself.”

“Doll,” he complained.

“No,” she said sternly.  “You’re hurt and need your rest.  I’ve got things I need to do anyway.”  She thought about the files that the others had gotten for her, that were sitting just a few feet away.  “I’ve got some heavy reading to do.”

Bucky took her hand, “All right, but try not to stress too much over this.  And don’t let what that man said get to you. You’re stronger than that, and they won’t be able to get to you.  If they even tried they’d have to go through everyone here.”

Mina knew what he said was true.  They all would be there for her. They would help protect her no matter what.  As they reached the base Mina helped Bucky back to his room and got him cleaned up better before making sure he had everything he needed.

“Go, I’ll be fine, if I need something I’ll have F.R.I.D.A.Y. contact you.”  He kissed her knuckles. “I expect a full report on your findings tomorrow though.”

“Yes Sergeant Barnes,” she said with a sultry smile.

He grinned at her, “Go before I decide to lock you in here with me.”

She bent down and kissed his forehead, “I’ll see you in the morning Bucky.”

“That’s Sergeant Barnes to you miss,” he said in a mock serious tone.

She shook her head and closed the door behind her.  When she reached the common room she found that Steve and Wanda were waiting for her there with the boxes.  “We’re here to help,” Wanda told her. “And we’re here for moral support.”

Mina was grateful for their support, “All right, let’s get to it then.”  She took a seat between them and opened the lid for the first box.

 

**Date: August 16th, 1994**

**Subject: Unborn infant of Alia and Marcus Gaspari**

**Notes:  Subject seems to be doing well with the serum we have been injecting her with.  HYDRA was kind enough to give us their notes to see if we could come up with a different formula from the Winter Soldier, super soldier serum.**

**The fetus’s vital signs are normal for a baby in the third trimester.  The parents are thanking me profusely for saving their little girl’s life.  If only they knew what kind of plans we have or her in the future.**

**Mrs. Gaspari will be going into labor within the next month.  From there she will take her child home, and we will monitor from a safe distance.**

 

**Date: November 10th, 1997**

**Subject: Mina Danae Gaspari**

**Notes: Mina is now three years old.  Her powers have not made an appearance yet, although she appears to be a docile child.**

**Her parents seemed enthralled with her, although that could be for the fact that she was almost had a miscarriage.**

**Will continue to monitor as the child grows older.**

 

**Date: April 24th, 2002**

**Subject: Mina Gaspari**

**Notes:  She is starting to show signs of her Siren Call.  Her ability to calm others and make them see things her way.  People fall in love with her no matter who they are.**

**Most just assume she is a very agreeable child.**

**No other signs of the abilities she should have.  She is only eight though.**

 

**Date: May 4th, 2012**

**Subject: Mina Gaspari**

**Notes:  Her other powers have emerged.  There was an alien invasion today, and while the Avengers fought Mina managed to protect innocent bystanders with her powers.**

**She seemed surprised to see them.  We will see what she does with the knowledge that she is gifted now.**

 

Mina closed the file she was reading and tossed it back onto the box.  She hung her head. It bothered her to know that she almost hadn’t been born.  That if these men hadn’t experimented on her and give her, her abilities that she might not even be sitting here right now.

Steve and Wanda looked at one another, not quite sure what to say to her.  They weren’t sure how to make this better. “What am I even going to be capable of?”

“We don’t know,” Wanda said softly.  “But we can figure it out. We’ll train more.  I’ll help you.”

“We’ll all help,” Steve said.  “We’re not going to let you go through this alone.”

Mina stood up, “I need to be alone.”  Steve and Wanda let her go knowing that the best thing for her right now was to just let her be and let her process this all on her own.

Mina shut herself up in her room for the rest of the evening just thinking everything she had learned over and trying to come to terms with it.

 

In the morning she walked down to breakfast and discovered the entire team assembled, Bucky included.  They were all talking quietly amongst themselves, and from the way they shut up when she entered the room, Mina knew they were talking about her.   “Please don’t stop on my account, what are you all talking about?”  There was a bitter undertone to her voice. “Don’t want me on the team anymore because I’m a liability?”

“Mina no,” Natasha said, her voice soft.  “We’re just trying to figure out how to best protect you.”

“Maybe you should think about how to protect yourselves,” she shot back.  “Seeming as how I’m this great weapon they want to use to take down the world.”

“Hey,” Bucky said.  “Calm down, we’re still your friends, we’re still here for you.  None of this changes a thing.”

“Maybe it should.  Maybe I should go into hiding while the rest of you figure out how to stop this.”

“We’re not going to put you into hiding,” Tony said with a shake of his head.  “That is ridiculous.”

“We’re a team,” Pietro said.  “We protect our own. Even when the members can be turned into weapons of mass destruction,” he grinned at her.

“You and Barnes are quite the pair,” Sam joked.  “Two people that can be brainwashed to wipe out the world, it’s like a match made in heaven.”  Mina used her powers to toss an apple at his head, but he dodged it, “You missed.”

The brought a little smile to her face and she stepped further into the room.  “So what do we do now?”

“We work to strengthening your abilities,” Steve said.  “The stronger you are the better you will be at staying out of their hands.  The stronger you are the less likely it will be that they can use you as a weapon.”

“T’Challa is sending Shuri to help.  She can monitor your powers and maybe figure out what kind of serum runs through your veins,” Bucky said.  “Both of them are worried about you, and want to help.”

“Good,” she said with a nod.  She was already feeling a little better now that a plan was actually beginning to form.  “This is good.”

“Our main priority right now is keeping you safe,” Tony continued.  “And getting you better trained. All other things can be put on the back burner.  And while you train we’ll see what we can do about these scientists.”

Bucky pulled Mina onto his lap and rested his chin on her shoulder.  “What if I’m captured?”

“Not going to happen,” Bucky said.  “That’s not even an option.”

Mina rolled her eyes, “It’s an option Bucky.  Things can go wrong, plans can be changed drastically.  And if they’re desperate enough to have me then they’ll find a way to get me back.”

“We haven’t thought that far ahead,” Steve admitted.  “But don’t worry we’ll think of something.”

“Just don’t let them brainwash me,” she told them.  “If they do I’m going to be super mad at y’all, and the first thing I’ll do when I’m unbrainwashed is kick all your asses.”

The rest of the team chuckled.  “Don’t worry we’ve been through it once with Barnes, we know how to handle brainwashed people,” Natasha assured her.

The others continued to talk about what they were going to do when Bucky pulled Mina from the room.  She didn’t know where he was taking her until the two of them reached the roof. It felt nice to be outside and in the fresh air.

“I know it’s a little hard not to worry about what could happen, for so long I was scared of what could happen if HYDRA found me again and turned me back into the Winter Soldier.  But you can’t think like that. You can’t let this fear you have cripple you, you got it?” She nodded her head. “You’re a strong person Mina, don’t ever lose that. Even if you're captured, hold onto that strength and don’t let them break you.”

Tears sprung up in her eyes, “Bucky, I’m scared.  I wasn’t scared when I first learned about my powers.  I figured they were a genetic mutation, but now that I know I was experimented on I’m afraid of what I might be able to do.”

Bucky pulled her into his arms, “Don’t let that fear consume you.  It will only make things worse. And just know I will be here with you a hundred percent of the way.”

 

In the North Atlantic Ocean, four scientist stood together looking over the footage from their Virginia base.  Their eyes trained on their girl with long black hair and turquoise eyes. They were currently going through the files on the super soldiers they had tried to create.  She had grown up nicely, her powers were growing stronger and stronger. They had done well on her. Now they just need to get her away from the Avengers.

“What are we going to do now?”  Maris Morlak asked as he looked at his fellow scientist and fellow leader of the Enclave.  “They know we want her now that you blabbed it to them.”

The other two scientists nodded in agreement.  Wladyslav Shinsky merely grinned, “That was the point.  They will be trying to protect her now. James Barnes is in love with her and will do almost anything to keep her safe.  Give it time my friends, the Avengers will slip up and she will be ours once again. We just have to be patient.”

The others didn’t know what Wladyslav had in mind, but for right now they would trust him, and they hoped they would get their experiment back soon before she would be the downfall of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this ends book one in the After Effects Series. The Enclave isn't going to be an easy defeat for the Avengers. And Mina will face a lot of hard decisions ahead of her, but Bucky is going to be right there with her.


End file.
